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, Report
sheet
Accountability
Commission Zimbabwe
March
31, 2003
Accountability
Commission Zimbabwe is an independent investigative and
planning organisation working with other civil society activists
to prepare Zimbabwe for a stable and democratic future. Our task
is to undermine the culture of lawlessness with impunity that flourishes
where democratic processes are subverted and judicial processes
are suppressed. When such conditions prevail individuals and organisations
feel free to carry out campaigns of violent intimidation; an epidemic
of instability spreads and leads to a breakdown in the rule of law
in almost every area of life. Those same individuals use this breakdown
for their own personal gain, while the people suffer from mounting
intimidation, poverty and deprivation.
Accountability
Commission Zimbabwe works on behalf of the oppressed so
that those who override the law and use criminal acts to protect
their political power are brought to justice.
Accountability
Commission Zimbabwe works to make sure that people who
commit crimes but whom their political masters shield from prosecution
will be brought to account. Beatings, torture, rape and murder are
widely used as methods of suppressing political opposition. The
perpetrators are often those, such as the police and army, who in
a conventional society might be expected to uphold the rule of law.
They are indifferent as to whether the people they torture can identify
them, or whether their acts of torture or ill treatment leave marks
that can easily be recognised as caused by torture, indicating a
clear assumption on their part, of impunity. This assumption is
well founded: no prosecutions against perpetrators have been brought
in any of the well-documented cases of torture and ill treatment.
Lawlessness
with Impunity
In
a healthy society the processes of accountability and justice are
primarily the responsibility of the duly appointed guardians of
law and order. Victims, or society as a whole, can seek justice
and redress through the judicial system and trust those elected
to positions of authority to uphold that system and use its power
to exact retribution.
In a society
where those in authority encourage and collaborate with, or are
themselves, perpetrators of crimes and where agencies of protection
have become agencies of persecution in a reign of terror and intimidation
the processes of justice and means of democratic expression are
distorted or suppressed.
This means that
until such time as the orderly and democratic rule of law can be
re-established other bodies need to step in to record evidence that
might otherwise be destroyed – by raids, arson, vandalism or assassination
– or dulled through the passage of time.
Accountability
In
countries that have endured periods of instability subsequent moves
towards reconstruction and development have sometimes been hindered
by a failure to call to account perpetrators of human rights abuse.
Accountability Commission Zimbabwe collects evidence
of alleged violations of human rights and uses it to help bring
about long-term change and to lay the foundation of a stable future
based on the democratic rule of law.
Accountability
is an indispensable part of democratic freedom under the rule of
law. In the period of transition after a regime of violence or repression
society needs to deal with the legacy of human rights abuse. Without
a process of accountability the wounds of corruption and injustice
fester and then, too often, the cycle is repeated. Political power
comes to be seen not as a means of service but only as method of
exploitation.
What sort
of activities does Accountability Commission Zimbabwe
examine?
The
primary focus of our investigative work is on individuals who appear
to be involved in the abuse of human rights - beatings, torture,
rape & murder.
It is useful
to be able to see the context within which such crimes are committed.
So we are also interested to know details of the business, social
and political links of alleged perpetrators. This helps build up
a picture of the underlying motivation and command networks that
are involved and often opens up valuable new lines of enquiry.
The work of
the Accountability Commission Zimbabwe
To plan for
the setting up under the successor government of appropriate processes
to deal with human rights violations in Zimbabwe over recent years.
This
aim provides the context for all our initial work. It requires us
to work in close co-operation with other organisations and individuals
who have experience of setting up mechanisms for transitional justice
and a professional understanding of the frameworks of Zimbabwean &
international human rights law. We work with them to bring about accountability
and justice for those guilty of violations of human rights law and
the establishment of appropriate judicial processes under a successor
administration and in co-operation with the wider international community.
We see this as a means of assisting in reconciliation, preventing
a recurrence of political violence and terror, nurturing democracy
and laying the foundation for a free and prosperous society. The achievement
of these objectives is dependent on both the victims and perpetrators
of human rights violations being aware of the system of repression
and understanding its causes. It is also dependent on the people Zimbabwe
being informed about the work of the mechanisms for accountability
and justice and understanding their significance.
To work
for accountability and justice through the offices of international
convention and treaty organisations
Zimbabwe
has signed and ratified numerous international treaties and conventions.
We will alert their secretariats to breaches with a view to penalties
being imposed. We will provide the names and details of individuals
who have contravened conventions so that should those individuals
enter the jurisdiction of other signatories appropriate steps can
be taken.
To establish
a register of the names of all individuals whom verifiable sources
accuse of involvement in violations of human rights law
To
complement reports of violent incidents and campaigns of terror
we are compiling a register based on the names of the individuals
who have been involved in those atrocities. We serve non-governmental
organisations and other agencies of civil society by providing both
a repository and a resource for information, evidence and records
until such time as legitimately constituted governmental and international
bodies require such data as a basis for their work of justice.
To add
to the dossier on each name details of that individual's business
interests and accomplices and any allegations of corruption
We
build comprehensive dossiers on key individuals with the cross-connections
of their business interests, accomplices, apologists and associates
so that we can present a detailed picture of the context within
which violations of human rights are taking place.
How to help
us
Incident
reports
If
you have any information about incidents of violence or individuals
whom you know to have been involved in beatings, torture, rape or
murder or any other form of human rights abuse we need to know about
it.
We need as much
detail and corroborating evidence, as it is possible for you to
supply. For example:
- Date, time
& location of the incident
- Names or
descriptions of the perpetrators
- Names or
descriptions of the victims
- Describe
what happened
- Description
and identification marks of any vehicles involved
- Addresses
of perpetrators
- Any other
useful background information about the perpetrators, victims
or incident.
View
and download the report sheet
Protecting
Identities
We
realise that it may be important to protect your own identity or
that of others. Please indicate if you wish us to treat any of the
names or details included in your report as confidential.
When you are
considering the options for transmitting intelligence to us, whether
by email, post, fax or telephone, you may prefer to use an indirect
route by asking a third party outside Zimbabwe to forward the message
to us.
If you wish
to speak to us and are concerned about the cost of an external call
please let us have your telephone number and we will call you.
Contact details
Address:
|
Either
The Accountability
Commission
2nd Floor, Berkeley Square House
Berkeley Square
London W1J 6BD
UNITED KINGDOM
|
Or
The Director
PrivateBag
X67
Braamfontein
2017
SOUTH
AFRICA |
Email: info@theaccountabilitycommission.com
Website:
www.theaccountabilitycommission.com
Telephone
: +44 (0)20 7396 5575
Local
cell: 091-364 392
Fax : +44 (0)20 7396 5599
Visit
the Accountability Commission Zimbabwe fact
sheet
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
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