NEW YORK Human Rights Watch on Sunday called on Zambia's donors to maintain their freeze on balance-of-payment supports because of the central African state's abuse of human rights. To support its demand, the group released a report documenting serious abuses by the Zambian government as the World Bank consultative group on Zambia met in Paris to discuss the country's human rights record.

We are very disappointed in what has happened in Zambia since last June's consultative group meeting, said Peter Takirambudde, Human Rights Watch's executive director for Africa. The government made all the right sounds last year but since then the police have badly beaten up and even tortured opposition supporters, said Takirambudde, noting that former president Kenneth Kaunda and opposition leader Rodger Chongwe were injured when police opened fire at a political rally last August. The rights group pointed out that about 80 soldiers and three civilian politicians were being detained in Zambia following an attempted coup last October 28.

The group said a number of these political detainees were hung by their hands and feet on a Kampelwe metal rod anchored between two tables while police beat them. Zambia's government on Wednesday agreed to launch an impartial probe of torture allegations in the country, bowing to domestic pressure and accepting a human rights group's recommendations. Home Affairs Minister Peter Machungwa told reporters the government of President Frederick Chiluba had accepted suggestions from the state-appointed permanent Human Rights Commission for an impartial inquiry into allegations of torture by police during interroqation.

(AFP)