ZAMBIA: Opposition leader denies treason charge

Zambian opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema, a longtime rival of President Edgar Lungu, denied plotting to overthrow the government when he appeared in a Lusaka court on Monday. Government and legal sources told Reuters on Sunday the government planned to drop the treason charges against Hichilema and release him from prison under a deal brokered by […]

Zambian opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema, a longtime rival of President Edgar Lungu, denied plotting to overthrow the government when he appeared in a Lusaka court on Monday.

Government and legal sources told Reuters on Sunday the government planned to drop the treason charges against Hichilema and release him from prison under a deal brokered by the Commonwealth secretary-general. But a government source said later that the application to discontinue the case would now be made on Wednesday. Hichilema — commonly known as HH — and five others were arrested in April and charged with treason.