The Leadership Institute for Transparency and Accountability (LITA) on Wednesday strongly condemned the arrest and detention of Silvester Namiwa, executive director of the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI), describing the treason charges against him as a grave assault on Malawi’s democratic values and constitutional freedoms. In a statement LITA executive director Goodwell Logeya, said the incarceration on treason charges represents a grave assault on Malawi’s democratic values and constitutional freedoms. The organisation argued that civil society groups form the backbone of accountability and transparency in Malawi. “The use of treason charges against an activist for exercising his right to free expression is a dangerous precedent that risks criminalising dissent and silencing legitimate voices of oversight,” the statement reads in part. He further said the arrest of Namiwa is not just about one individual—it is about the future of Malawi’s democratic space.