|
Back to Index
Zanu
PF youths besiege American embassy
Crisis
in Zimbabwe Coalition
February 24, 2010
Almost 500 ZANU PF youths
today, 23 February 2010 besieged the American Embassy in Zimbabwe
for more than 20 minutes chanting party slogans and demanding the
removal of targeted sanctions and an end to external radio stations.
The youths, who assembled
at ZANU PF Harare Provincial headquarters along Fourth Street at
around 11am, marched on the embassy escorted by members of the police
and carrying placards demanding the removal of targeted sanctions
imposed against party leaders and their associates. The march ended
at ZANU PF headquarters where President Robert Mugabe was expected
to address. Sources revealed that the youths were planning to hand
a petition to Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai.
During the demonstrations,
Zimbabwean journalist, Andresen Manyerere was attacked and detained
at the ZANU PF offices for taking photographs and video footage
without accreditation from the political party. According to Manyere,
he was advised to obtain clearance from the party headquarters where
the Central Intelligence Organization (CIO) and Police Security
Intelligence (PISI) allegedly run offices. The journalist was quizzed
for over 15 minutes over the destination of the footage and photographs
and accused of supplying information to foreign media houses. He
was accredited and later released after his footage was deleted.
ZANU PF has
accused the MDC of orchestrating the extension of targeted sanctions
by the European Union (EU) and fueling the continued existence of
external radio stations as alternative media for Zimbabweans. The
political party has insisted that the two issues remain impediment
to the full implementation of the IPA
and it is the duty of the MDC to address them.
However the
argument that MDC is unilaterally supposed to address these two
issues is unsubstantiated as it is the duty and obligation of the
three signatories to the Inter Party Agreement to create an enabling
environment to rid the country of both the external radio stations
and targeted sanctions. The mushrooming of external radio stations
in Zimbabwe was a direct result of the absence of a vibrant, diverse
and free media-operating environment while the targeted sanctions
were born out of ZANU PF's continued abuse of human rights.
Despite the signing of the IPA in September 2008, the political
environment remains marred by continued human rights abuses by ZANU
PF supporters and state agents. The disruptions of an MDC rally
in Epworth on the 21st of February 2010 and subsequent home attacks
on three MDC supporters and the intimidation of the General
Agricultural and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe (GAPWUZ)
Secretary General, Gertrude Hambira and secretariat are living testimonies
of violations. The operating environment for the media also remains
largely restrictive as evidenced by the continued attacks on journalists
including Manyere.
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
reiterate that as long as ZANU PF maintains the internal sanctions
imposed upon the people of Zimbabwe through the existence of draconian
laws and abuse of basic rights, the political party should not preach
about their removal and cessation of operation of external radio
stations. The coalition thus calls upon the inclusive government
to implement solid policies targeted at bringing to an end the undemocratic
political environment established by ZANU PF
Visit the Crisis
in Zimbabwe fact
sheet
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|
