More than thirty years in power, President Mugabe and his ruling party ZANU (PF) continue to violate human rights of Zimbabweans through violence, intimidation and harassment.
The Human Rights Watch report of 2011 published end of January reveals that despite ‘the power-sharing deal Mugabe has not investigated widespread abuses against those opposed to his regime.’
Zimbabwe’s government of national unity comprising the former opposition party Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has failed in its mandate to institute a new political dispensation that ensures an end of human rights abuses that have rocked the Southern African country for decades.
The Government of National unity
The present situation goes against the fundamental tenets of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) that believes in the protection of human dignity.
After many years of flawed or fixed elections, Tsvangirai of the MDC won the 2008 elections on the backdrop of unprecedented levels of politically-motivated violence perpetrated by youth militia and war veterans commandeered by Mugabe. The military, police and Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) agents were dispatched resulting in the killing of more than 255 innocent people mostly those sympathetic to the opposition MDC.
The CIO is a secret police establishment; the Zimbabwe version of KGB, CIA or M15 in the UK. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission believed to be aligned to Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) withheld election results for weeks causing anxiety among the population. This created lawlessness as youths (The Green Bombers) and the military went about intimidating and murdering people with impunity, resulting in a near-civil war.
Pressure from Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), spear-headed by Thambo Mbeki the then president of South Africa, the US and other European countries forced Mugabe to agree to a Government of National Unity with his arch-rival Morgan Tsvangirai of the MDC.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), a working document for the formation of the new government signed on 21 July 2008, emphasised the need for all parties to preserve the dignity and human rights of all citizens regardless of their political and religious persuasion.
The MOU preamble expresses the determination of the parties involved ‘to build a society free of violence, fear, intimidation, hate, patronage and founded on justice, fairness, transparency, dignity and equality.’ The document added: “The parties shall refrain from abusive language that may invite hostility, political intolerance, and ethnic hatred or undermine each other.”
According to the Human Rights Watch, over the years the Zimbabwe regime through its state security apparatus such as the army, police and the infamous Central Intelligence Organization (CIO) – have run a sustained campaign against those opposed to the government.
Human Rights Watch says abuses are far reaching, and include ‘killings, torture, beatings, and other ill-treatments committed by the army, ZANU-PF supporters and officials against real and/or perceived supporters of the MDC.’
Ordinary people, including journalists and members of civic groups such as Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) are summarily arrested and remanded in custody for dissent.
In September 2010 for example, 83 members of WOZA were arrested after a peaceful protest to mark International Peace Day. The women were charged under the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 46, as read with Section 2(v) of the Third Schedule to the Criminal Code – ‘criminal nuisance.’
Recent attacks on opposition
In early January 2011 the MDC reported incidents of violence and intimidation targeted towards their supporters. The report published on their website suggests that Zanu PF has once again resorted to ‘the language of violence.’
The MDC say the army personnel, police and the militia have descended on the residents of Budiriro, Mbare and Chitungwiza (suburbs in the South of the capital Harare) with ’ brutality; assaulting ordinary people, destroying homes and arresting perceived MDC supporters. ‘
“A local MDC Chairperson for Budiriro, Gashirai Gurure is said to have been abducted and his whereabouts remain unknown. His wife and son were assaulted with iron bars and have since been admitted into hospital”; the MDC report say.
In Mbare, the report added district offices belonging to MDC were ransacked by Zanu (PF) militia who smashed all the windows, stole three sets of computers and vandalised the office furniture.
In light of the prevailing violence the MDC says they appeal to SADC, the African Union and the broader international community to take immediate action in order to protect people of Zimbabwe.
Amnesty International on Zimbabwe
In 2010 an official from Amnesty International appealed to both President Mugabe and Prime Minister Tsvangirai to honour their obligations by reforming state institutions to ensure the end of human rights violations that continue to rock the country under the new governing arrangements.
The harassment of opponents of President Mugabe’s regime, and politically motivated prosecutions of human rights activists have persisted. Ordinary Zimbabweans suffer intimidation by supporters of ZANU-PF, especially the renowned war veterans (those individuals who claim to have fought for the country’s 1980 independence).
According to Erwin van der Borght director of Amnesty International’ Africa Programme state institutions charged with the responsibility for safeguarding the welfare of all Zimbabweans are so politicised and partisan; and are on the forefront of human rights abuses.
He said: “The Attorney General's office, police and army have been left to freely violate human rights in pursuit of a political agenda."
Amnesty International Investigations
- Trade Union workers from General Agricultural Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe (GAPWUZ) have been subject to persistent harassment by police since February after Secretary General Gertrude Hambira fled the country in fear for her safety.
- In March, Okay Machisa the Director of Zimbabwe Human Rights Association ZimRights, was forced to temporarily flee the country after he was arrested for his role in coordinating a public exhibition featuring images of political violence.
ZimRights were awarded the 2011 Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Democracy and Governance organizational award for their effort in promoting the protection of human rights in the country.
Amnesty International believes that police officers have deliberately failed to maintain law and order; and that these cases show a pattern of institutionalised harassment of human rights defenders in Zimbabwe.
“This demonstrates that Zimbabwean authorities have failed to comply with their obligations under the Global Political Agreement (GPA) to allow freedom of association and assembly”; say Amnesty International.
In 2009 the secretary general for amnesty international Irene Khan met with senior government ministers from both Zanu (PF) and the Movement for Democratic Change, during a fact finding mission on human rights abuses.
At that time Khan raised concerns about persistent human rights violations despite the formation of government for national unity, adding that there was a culture of impunity in Zimbabwe that has prevailed uninterrupted for years. “The human rights situation in Zimbabwe remains precarious and the social economic conditions are desperate," she said.
Human Rights watch say the South African government deepened its engagement with the power-sharing government to ensure protection of human rights, but failed to ensure meaningful human rights improvements.
Since the inception of the Unity Government there have been rifts and squabbles between the two main parties of the unity government regarding policy, especially on human rights.
The relationship has become so untenable that both parties, the MDC and Zanu (PF) have called for an early election this year.
In a statement posted on its website, headlined "Elections inevitable," ZANU-PF claims there are serious political differences in the fragile coalition -- which Mugabe has likened to water and oil -- and Zimbabwe should go for elections when the government's two-year mandate ends in February.
References:
United for Human Rights humanrights.com Accessed Feb 2011
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights United Nations: un.org Accessed Feb 2011
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