Zambia's
parliament suspended 48 opposition lawmakers on Tuesday for boycotting a speech
by the president, widening a political rift that has alarmed rights groups.
Parliament's
speaker barred the United Party for National Development (UPND) politicians
from taking their seats for 30 days, a move that banned them from the building
and stopped their pay.
Their party,
which was defeated in August elections that it said were rigged, called the
suspensions unconstitutional.
The
lawmakers boycotted President Edgar Lungu's address at the official opening of
the assembly in March, saying they did not recognize him as leader.
A month
later, the UPND's leader, Hakainde Hichilema, and five others were arrested and
charged with treason after a column of opposition vehicles failed to make way
for Lungu's motorcade.
Amnesty
International has said the treason charges are "trumped up" and
called for the politicians' release.
On Tuesday,
parliament's speaker Patrick Matibini told the opposition lawmakers: "I
challenge you to resign on moral grounds if you do not recognize that there is
a legitimately elected government."
The
suspensions affected 48 of the party's 58 MPs. The remaining 10 had officially
excused themselves from attending parliament on the day of Lungu's speech and
were not included in the suspension.
Hichilema
was moved from a prison in Lusaka to a maximum security facility outside the
capital on June 9.
REUTERS*
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