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Blow
to rights body
Kumbirai
Mafunda, The Financial Gazette (Zimbabwe)
November 09, 2006
http://www.fingaz.co.zw/story.aspx?stid=1901
THE government’s
plans to set up a human rights commission have suffered another
setback, after an umbrella body for civic groups and non-governmental
organisations, the National
Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO) pulled
out of the consultative process.
Non-governmental
organisations and rights groups had, over the past two months, haggled
over the decision by some organisations in the civic society movement
to cooperate with the government in setting up the rights commission.
NANGO and some
of its members such as the Zimbabwe
Coalition on Debt and Development, the Women’s Coalition and
the National
Society for the Care of the Handicapped had decided to engage
government on the proposed commission, while vocal groups such as
the Crisis
in Zimbabwe Coalition (CZC), the National
Constitutional Assembly (NCA), the Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) and the Zimbabwe
Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) among others, had opposed cooperation,
charging that the government has shown scant respect for human rights.
However, the
groups met last week and resolved to set conditions for their involvement
in the setting up of the rights body.
Resolutions
passed at the meeting held in the capital between the NANGO board
and representatives from the human rights groups reflect a change
of tack on the part of the umbrella body and some of its members
who had initially decided to cooperate with the government.
NANGO represents
more than 1 000 civic groups in the country.
The groups are
now demanding the repeal of the country’s repressive and draconian
security laws before the resumption of a consultative process to
set up parameters for the establishment of a human rights commission.
The rights groups
say tough security laws such as the Public
Order and Security Act (POSA) prohibit them from assembling
and consulting their key constituencies for input into the establishment
of the rights commission.
"The meeting
reiterated the common position that the establishment of a human
rights commission in the prevailing situation without constitutional,
legislative and institutional reform will be a sham. Hence the meeting’s
emphasis on constitutional reform, repeal of repressive pieces of
legislation, de-politicisation of the judiciary and a recommitment
to democracy and the rule of law as the minimum preconditions for
the establishment of an independent and effective human rights commission.
Further engagement between civil society and the government will
be on condition of the tangible display of political will and action
to put in place these pre-conditions," NANGO announced at the
end of the meeting.
NANGO spokesperson
Fambai Ngirande confirmed the umbrella body’s new position, saying
it would soon petition the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) — which was facilitating consultations on the rights body
— as well as the government, outlining its demands and pre-conditions
for engagement.
"The situation
requires a well meaning response that is responsive to the situation
where human rights become institutionalised in the judiciary and
other key national institutions," said Ngirande.
NANGO says it
will continue to call for the establishment of the necessary preconditions
for the formation of an independent and effective human rights commission
inclusive of broad constitutional, legislative and judicial reform.
"Human
rights is a culture, not a condition, therefore the present situation
in Zimbabwe is not tenable for the establishment of a human rights
commission," read part of the resolutions adopted at last week’s
meeting.
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