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Statement on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
Crisis
in Zimbabwe Coalition
June 24, 2011
'No
person shall be subjected to torture or inhuman or degrading punishment
or other such treatment,' Section 15 (1) of the Constitution
of Zimbabwe.
The Crisis in
Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) joins Zimbabweans and the rest of the
world in commemorating the International Day in Support of Victims
of Torture. The Coalition calls upon the inclusive government to
discourage the use of torture within its borders and to uphold the
Constitution of Zimbabwe by ensuring that all perpetrators of torture
regardless of their political affiliation are brought to book and
victims of torture receive adequate redress.
Despite being
a State party to regional and international instruments such as
the African
Charter on Human and People's Rights (ACHPR) and the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the government of
Zimbabwe continues to promote torture through its acts of omission
and commission which perpetuate impunity. Many victims of the Gukurahundi
massacres and the politically-motivated violence instigated against
members of the Movement for Democratic Change and civil society
activists amount to gross human rights abuses that should be investigated
and the perpetrators brought to justice.
The ushering
in of the inclusive
government in 2009 brought hope to victims of torture who felt
that assailants would be apprehended and their grievances met through
an independent judicial process. However, despite the existence
of Article 18 of the Global
Political Agreement (GPA) which exhorts the state 'to
apply the laws of the country fully and impartially in bringing
all perpetrators of politically motivated violence to book',
the perpetrators, although known, remain protected by a highly compromised
prosecuting authority. The perpetrators continue to taunt the victims
and boast that they have not been prosecuted for their heinous crimes
because "tisu tirikutonga" or "tisu tiripanyanga"
(we are the ones in charge). The Coalition wishes to restate its
long held view that without adequately addressing the crimes of
the past, it is difficult to move forward.
The vision of
a torture free country can be achieved through;
- Acknowledging
past cases of torture and bringing all perpetrators regardless
of their positions in society, to account for their actions without
fear or favour.
- The government
ratifying the Convention Against Torture (CAT) which allows for
the adoption of a national legal framework that can be operationalized
to erase the culture of impunity within our society.
Visit the Crisis
in Zimbabwe fact
sheet
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