GOVT CANCELS PASSPORTS OF  AMB. EMMANUEL MWAMBA, SISHUWA ,JAY JAY BANDA,KAIZER ZULU AND OTHERS

The Zambian government has escalated its measures against prominent political opposition figures and critics by revoking the travel documents of several high-profile individuals. According to a Government Gazette notice issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security, the passports belonging to former Ambassador to Ethiopia Emmanuel Mwamba, prominent historian and academic Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa, former Members of Parliament Emmanuel Jay Banda and Binwell Mpundu, former State House aide Kaizer Zulu, and online commentator Lillian Mutambo have been nullified with immediate effect. Authorities stated that the unprecedented cancellation was executed under national security provisions, declaring the affected travel documents null, void, and invalid for identification, travel, or any official transaction. The targeted individuals represent some of the most vocal critics of President Hakainde Hichilema and the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND). Operating largely from the diaspora or facing intense domestic legal battles, these figures have routinely utilized media platforms and public forums to censure government policies, economic management, and democratic trajectories. Legal and security apparatuses have instructed financial institutions, border control checkpoints, and international partners to reject the invalidated documents, demanding that the holders immediately surrender them to Zambian diplomatic missions or local law enforcement. This administrative action has sharply polarized public opinion across the nation, drawing fierce condemnation from civil society groups and opposition factions who view the development as an alarming slide toward authoritarianism. Critics argue that utilizing passport revocations to muzzle intellectual dissent and political opposition undermines constitutional freedoms and sets a dangerous precedent for governance in Zambia's pluralistic democracy. Conversely, government defenders maintain that the state