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CCDZ condemns clampdown on civil society and ongoing harassment
of human rights defenders in Zimbabwe
Centre
for Community Development in Zimbabwe (CCDZ)
March 01, 2013
The Centre for
Community Development In Zimbabwe (CCDZ) condemns in the strongest
of terms the harassment of human rights activists and clampdown
on civil society. The incarceration of human rights defenders and
NGO office raids by State authorities is a well calculated strategy
by some elements in the inclusive
government to limit the work of NGOs ahead of the Constitutional
Referendum on March 16 and the forthcoming elections.
In the past
weeks, civil society has been the target for attack by state security
agencies and militia groups but what is disturbing is police inaction
in bringing the perpetrators of these violations to book. We are
shocked at the lack of professionalism by members of the Zimbabwe
Republic Police (ZRP) who always have excuses why they are cannot
bring perpetrators to book. Attacks on CSOs have taken one or more
of the following:
- Disruption
or banning of civic education meetings organized by CSOs by police
and vigilante/militia groups. A CCDZ-organized meeting in Kwekwe
was besieged
by slogan-chanting members of the shadowy Al-Shabab group
last month. Another peace-building meeting organized by CCDZ at
Dhirihori in Marondera was banned by police because the former
ZANU-PF minister Tracy Mutinhiri who has defected to the MDC-T
was in attendance at the CCDZ meeting.
- The raiding
of offices of CSOs by police offices who are armed to the teeth
like what happened a fortnight ago to the Zimbabwe
Elections Support Network (ZESN), Zimbabwe
Human Rights Association (ZimRights), National
Youth Development Trust (NYDT) and Zimbabwe
Peace Project (ZPP).
- The incarceration
of civil society activists and community mobilizers. ZimRights
director Okay Machisa and Programme Co-ordinator Leo Chamahwinya
were arraigned
before the courts on trumped up and politically-motivated charges.
CCDZ Advocacy officer George Makoni and community mobilizer Gift
Konjani were arrested
in Chegutu for holding a meeting with residents on the new constitution
and forthcoming elections.
- The attempt
by the State to ban/proscribe human rights and democracy advocacy
networks because they are not registered under the Private Voluntary
Organizations (PVOs). This is despite the fact that most of the
NGOs are lawful entities operating as trusts.
- Civil society
leaders continue to receive threats if they continue to do their
work in exposing human rights abuses taking place within communities.
These trends
are consistent with a venal and authoritarian state that has no
regard whatsoever for people’s rights and freedoms. We call
upon the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to execute its mandate in
a professional and non-partisan manner and bring to book all the
perpetrators of rights violations without fear or favour. We urge
ZRP to stop harassing civil society organizations who are doing
their work in providing goods and services for the good of our country.
The coalition government should treat civil society as partners
rather than foes.
The office raids by police and incarceration of civil society activists
is meant to cow civil society into submission ahead of the planned
elections. We call upon government to reign in these partisan officers
who are acting as political commissars and failing to execute their
duties in a professional manner as spelled out in the Police Service
Charter.
We reiterate our calls for the intervention of the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) to expedite the elections roadmap and
address our concerns about the urgent need for Security Sector reforms.
Visit the Centre
for Community Development fact
sheet
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