Bertindak atas nama firma hukum arbitrase Dugué & Klien Kirtley, itu Aliansi Kebebasan Nasional Barotseland (BNFA), William Kirtley has published an article concerning Barotseland’s bid for independence from Zambia in the leading Francophone African news magazine Afrika muda.
Raja Mwanawina III dari Barotseland dan Rt Hon Macmillan dari Britania Raya (Januari 1960)
Bekas protektorat Inggris di Inggris Barotseland willingly chose to become part of Zambia sesuai dengan Perjanjian Barotseland 1964, a treaty brokered by the United Kingdom that was intended to preserve Barotseland’s semi-autonomous status within an independent Zambia.
Meskipun Kenneth Kaunda, Presiden Zambia pertama, signed the treaty himself on behalf of the Government of Northern Rhodesia, he and the Zambian Government would violate every provision of the Barotseland Agreement 1964 mulai segera setelah kemerdekaan Zambia, going so far as to modify the Zambian Constitution to remove all references to the Barotseland Agreement 1964, untuk “pembatalan” the British act of parliament granting sovereignty to Zambia which referred to the Barotseland Agreement 1964, untuk mengambil alih harta Barotseland, to changing the name of Barotseland to the generic “Bagian barat” and attempting to destroy Barotseland’s previously well-functioning institutions.
Maklum, di 2012, itu Barotseland National Council voted to accept Zambia’s abrogation of the Barotseland Agreement 1964, with the logical consequence that Barotseland had regained its independence since the treaty by which it freely forged a union with Zambia had ended. Namun, Daripada terlibat dalam dialog, Zambia meningkatkan penindasan di bekas protektorat Barotseland di Inggris, imprisoning dozens of Barotseland activists on the charge of treason and increasing the police presence in Barotseland while refusing to consider Barotseland’s calls for the peaceful resolution of the issue of Barotseland’s legal status by way of Arbitrase PCA di Den Haag.
Sumber: Afrika muda (2014)
Saat ini, sekitar 10,000 Perwakilan Barotseland telah menandatangani perjanjian arbitrase PCA designed to allow an independent and neutral arbitral tribunal in The Hague to rule upon the status of the Barotseland Agreement 1964 sesuai dengan hukum internasional. President Sata of Zambia has steadfastly refused to sign the PCA arbitration agreement, in an apparent recognition that Zambia’s acts flagrantly violated the treaty.
The article in Afrika muda concerning Barotseland’s enlightened attempts to have the issue of its legal status settled by way of PCA arbitration, alih-alih kekerasan yang tampaknya dicari oleh Zambia, was prepared jointly by the BNFA, William Kirtley, seorang ilmuwan sosial Prancis, Koralie Wietrzykowski dan Audrey dan Christophe Dugué. It may be found online at https://jeuneafrique.com/Article/ARTJAWEB20140606174635/ and is reproduced below.
