The body of a 23-year-old Zambian student, Lemekani Nyirenda, who was killed while fighting for the Russian army in the war in Ukraine has finally been returned home.
The body of Nyirenda, who was studying Nuclear Engineering in a Moscow University, was serving a nine-year prison term over drug trafficking charges before joining the Russian military, arrived at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka on Sunday.
Lemekani was convicted of drug trafficking in April 2020 and sentenced to nine years in prison but was later pardoned through a special amnesty on condition that he participate in the war, local media reports.
The return of his body to his home country was at the instance of the
Zambian government which ha requested that Russian authorities return the body for proper burial following an outcry by his family and citizens.
Last week, Zambian Foreign Affairs Minister, Stanley Kakubo, had traveled to Russia to facilitate the return of Nyirenda’s corpse.
“We were told that on August 23 he was conditionally pardoned and was allowed to participate in a special military operation in which he was killed in September,” said Kakubo.
“We then demanded that officials provide details, not just of his recruitment.”
Kakubo said DNA tests to confirm Nyirenda identity have been conducted and his family will be given compensation by the Russian government.
“Zambia will work to ensure that nothing like this happens again to a Zambian studying in Russia and that there are no other Zambians in Russian prisons.
“Zambians have expressed sadness that a young student was pressed into the Russian military to fight their war in Ukraine,” the Minister added.
The deceased’s family spokesperson, Ian Banda, who addressed journalists after receiving the body, said the corpse will be taken to the mortuary at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka where the doctors will conduct forensic pathology on the body starting Monday.