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Zimbabwe:
Suppression of freedom of expression and association
International
Bar Association (IBA)
February 23, 2007
The International Bar Association (IBA)’s Human Rights Institute today
condemned the three-month ban on political rallies and protests imposed
by the Government of Zimbabwe on Mbare and Harare South. The
ban was issued under the Public
Order and Security Act (POSA) following recent violent clashes
between protesters and the police.
The IBA is extremely
concerned about the ban, which breaches the right to freedom of
assembly protected by international and regional human rights law
and the Constitution
of Zimbabwe. The IBA also has doubts about the Constitutional
validity of the POSA, which enables
the Government of Zimbabwe to undermine the right to freedom of
assembly by prohibiting or restricting legitimate protests. Further,
the IBA notes that the three-month ban exceeds the one-month limit
imposed by the POSA.
‘The Government
of Zimbabwe has again undermined the guarantees of human rights
and the rule of law by preventing the citizens of Zimbabwe
from exercising their fundamental right to free assembly’, stated
Mark Ellis, Executive Director of the International Bar Association.
‘The Mugabe Government’s breaches of international human rights
law and complete disregard for the rights enshrined in the Constitution
of Zimbabwe continue to escalate.’
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