LUSAKA - Zambian police added espionage to the charge sheet against an opposition leader already due in court on Monday on a count of sedition for inciting a riot at the country's biggest copper mine, his lawyer said.
The new charge could expose Michael Sata, the southern African country's main opposition leader, to a much longer prison term if convicted, since espionage carries a minimum term of 20 years, compared with seven for sedition.
"The police have surprisingly charged Mr. Sata with an additional charge. They have added espionage to the charges," Sata's lawyer Robert Simeza told Reuters.
"They are now playing political games ... We will apply for bail," Simeza said.
Police officials were unavailable for immediate comment.
Under Zambian law espionnage has a much broader definition than simple spying, and can include damage to property.
Police said on Sunday that Sata, leader of the Patriotic Front (PF), had been charged with seditious practices after a riot at the Nchanga Open Pit copper mine last Wednesday in which workers campaigning for higher wages smashed shop windows and stoned cars.
After being questioned by police for five hours on Saturday, Sata said he had denied the charges put to him and accused the authorities of "political persecution".
But he was arrested in the early hours of Sunday morning.
A senior police officer told Reuters on Monday that police had also questioned three journalists from a state newspaper and a private newspaper for stories in which they quoted Sata as saying he had instigated the riots.
Two local newspapers have quoted Sata as saying he had incited miners at the unit of Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) to riot over the pay dispute.
KCM, which also operates the Konkola copper mine, Nampundwe pyrite mine and the Nkana Smelter, is majority owned by London-listed Vedanta Resources. Together they account for two-thirds of Zambia's total metals output.
Zambia earns the bulk of its foreign exchange from copper mining and the vast mines are a major employer in the country of 10 million people.
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