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Zim civil society demands transitional justice in form of justice, truth & reconciliation
National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations in Zimbabwe (NANGO)
September 10, 2008

The National Association of Non Governmental Organisations joins the Human Rights NGO Forum - the convener of the meeting and NANGO member - and other organisations represented at the milestone " Transitional Justice - The options for Zimbabwe " Conference held from the 9th -10th of September in unreservedly reiterating the call for transitional justice as a critical remedy to the massive human rights violations, engraining fear, insecurity and mistrust in Zimbabwean society today.

Transitional justice refers to the pursuit of comprehensive justice during times of political transition through a wide variety of strategies e.g. retributiv justice and truth seeking for confronting the legacy of past abuses in order to create a more just and democratic future.

NANGO endorses the non-negotiable minimum demands for a transitional justice process adopted at the conference by broader Civil Society. These include:

• No impunity for crimes against humanity, torture and other international crimes, rape and other sexual crimes, corruption and other crimes of greed
• No extinguishing of civil claims against the perpetrators or the State
• Comprehensive reparations for victims of human rights violations
• No-one should hold an official office who has been responsible for gross human rights violations and corruption;
• A credible and independent truth seeking inquiry into the conflicts of the past which holds perpetrators to account and which provides victims the opportunity to tell their story
• Independent monitoring and reform of the operations and structures of the police, army, paramilitary, security coordination, administration of justice, food distribution and other organs of state involved in the implementation of the transition

Zimbabwean Civil Society strongly holds that perpetrators of serious human rights violations have to be held accountable so that Zimbabweans can build a polity based on fundamental rights and freedoms and respect for the rule of law - thereby ensuring the creation of a sustainable democratic culture. Impunity must not reign in Zimbabwe as it will seriously harm the future stability of the country.

NANGO contends that victims and survivors need the establishment of truth as a foundation for closure, reconciliation and healing. Establishing truth is necessary to ensure that in the future malfeasance cannot be denied and that the truth cannot be distorted. A credible and independent truth seeking inquiry into the violations of the past is essential; it should also guarantee that victims are given the opportunity to bear testimony. NANGO therefore joins broader Civil Society in calling for a Truth Seeking Inquiry, during which gender aspects with regard to the composition of the truth seeking body and the issues it will address shall be respected and taken into account.

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