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Situation of Human Rights in Africa 37th Ordinary Session of the ACHPR
Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights)
April 27, 2005

As ZimRights we thank the Commission for the opportunity to speak at this august gathering. We also thank the Commission for the report on the Fact Finding Mission to Zimbabwe of June 2002, which we have found to be invaluable in the campaign for the promotion and protection of human rights in Zimbabwe .We are acutely aware of the pressing need to enhance the work of the Commission in our own communities. As you are aware elections were recently conducted in Zimbabwe to select representatives of the people.

Of major concern to us is the relegation of fundamental principles into SADC guidelines of persuasive value, which have persuaded no one. We are concerned that the court challenges to the 2000 parliamentary elections before the judiciary have not been finalised. These have been overtaken by the March 2005 elections meaning that the candidates who won unfairly in the previous election have benefited from the same. Cases of torture and extra judicial killings from the 2000 election have not been resolved. The current elections could not be unequivocally declared as free and fair and are instead being referred to as a reflection the expression of the will of the people.

ZimRights believes that the people of Zimbabwe have been unable to freely participate in the Governance of their country against a backdrop of repressive laws such as Public Order and Security Act, Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, harassment and arrest of journalists, and closure of independent papers among others, which the Commission in its fact finding mission report of June 2002 established to be contrary to the principles and rights enshrined in the African Charter.

Human rights defenders are operating in an increasingly difficult environment where their actions are viewed as contrary to the interests of the state notwithstanding the Non Governmental Organisations Bill having not been signed. The Bill, designed to curtail the operations of human rights NGOS, still hangs ominously over the heads NGOs if it is referred back to parliament.

The existing legislation regulating the operation of Zimbabwean NGOs, the Private Voluntary Organisations Act, has been used to justify impromptu inspections and harassment of targeted NGO’s in recent weeks. Among the inspecting officers from the government including members of the Criminal Investigation Department who would have been appointed as inspectors of voluntary organisations. This only adds to the climate of fear and harassment of human rights defenders under which they are operating .

We therefore urge the commission to encourage the government to adopt the recommendations that are contained in the report of the Fact Finding mission, which if adopted and implemented in good faith, will go a long way in dealing with the human rights situation in Zimbabwe.

Visit the ZimRights fact sheet

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