|
Back to Index
This article participates on the following special index pages:
Inclusive government - Index of articles
Spotlight on inclusive government: It's not working - Index of articles
Inclusive government: Remove the state of emergency
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
March 02, 2011
Following the
unlawful arrests of two members of Parliament and 61 pro-democracy
activists and the attacks against civilians by members of the former
ruling ZANU PF party in Harare suburbs of Mbare and Budiriro with
the apparent acquiescence of the State, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
contends that the inclusive government of Zimbabwe has re-introduced
a State of emergency which should be suspended forthwith. The state
of emergency is further confirmed by heavy presence of armed police
on the streets.
The arrest and
continued incarceration of Nyanga North MP Douglas
Mwonzora and six villagers for allegedly inciting violence and
14 Women
of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) activists, the continued incarceration
of former Highfields MP Munyaradzi
Gwisai, human rights activist, Hopewell Gumbo and 45 others
for allegedly attempting to overthrow the Inclusive Government as
well as a report that the Member of Parliament for Zhombe, Roger
Tazviona, is languishing since Monday 21 February in a Kwekwe prison
for unspecified reasons indicate that Zimbabwe is in a state of
emergency where civil and political liberties of the opponents of
ZANU PF are violated with impunity. When accused people are denied
an opportunity to access to their lawyers, receive medical attention
and appear before a court of law within statutory requirements then
there is no plausible reason to suggest that there is no state of
emergency in the country.
This spate of
arrests of pro-democracy forces and the deployment of armed forces
in Harare's high density suburbs over the weekend serves as
a reminder to The Coalition of events that followed President Robert
Mugabe's defeat in the first round of the presidential
elections in March 2008 and the violent
June 27 poll where the country witnessed gross violations of
human rights that can only be witnessed when the constitution is
suspended.
Although there
is no statutory communication declaring a state of emergency in
Zimbabwe, events on the ground as they relate to the general suspension
of citizens' civil and political liberties point to a situation
where a de facto state of emergency exists in the country. The use
of colonial style, repressive laws such as the Public
Order and Security Act (POSA) and the Criminal
Law and Codification Act (particularly Section 121) points to
a government which has suspended its citizens' fundamental
freedoms.
What is worrying
to The Coalition is that unlike in 2008, the two formations of the
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) are now part of the same oppressive
system. They sit idly while their supporters, legislators and pro-democracy
activists face trumped up charges and remain in detention without
trial.
The arbitrary
arrests of pro-democracy activists and events on the ground clearly
show that the Constitution of Zimbabwe has been suspended in order
to deal with political dissent as ZANU PF prepares a violent electoral
political onslaught against its opponents.
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
|
