Jailed Zambian pastor freed in Angola

Five jailed Pastors among them a Zambian of the Seventh Day Adventist Church have been set free by the Angolan Supreme Court after a two year legal battle.

Pastor Passmore Hachalinga, a Zambian national while serving as regional president in Angola with Pastor Burns Sibanda, a Zimbabwean, as Chief Financial Officer and three other local pastors were jailed on allegations of kidnapping a fellow pastor among other charges.

But two years down the line, the Angolan Supreme Court has overturned that judgement against the five pastors for lack of evidence.

According to details gathered by Diamond TV Zambia, in an attempt to stay in power and stifle audits of his administration, 62-year-old pastor Daniel Cem, then president of the Northern Region of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Angola, accused the defendants, now acquitted, of various crimes, including kidnapping, leading to their conviction by the lower court in 2017.

The five pastors allegedly suffered torture, their houses attacked in a violent manner and eventual killing one of pastors.

Seventh Day Adventist Church, Southern Zambia Union Conference President Pastor Harringtone Akombwa has also confirmed the acquittal and has since thanked the Zambian government for ensuring that justice prevails.