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Free Zim Youth plan demo on Zimbabwe abuses
Tererai Karimakwenda, SW Radio Africa
October 18, 2007

http://www.swradioafrica.com/news181007/freezimyouth181007.htm

The UK based pressure group Free Zim Youth has organised a demonstration Friday to commemorate Africa Human Rights Day, and they plan to petition African States to use more leverage on the Zimbabwe authorities, who are not complying with the African Charter on human rights. October 21st is the actual day set aside by the African Union to celebrate human rights on the continent, but the group scheduled their demonstration for Friday in order to target key embassies while they are open.

Free Zim coordinator Alois Mbawara explained that they will march to the Zambian Embassy as the country currently chairs the Southern African Development Community (SADC). They will also protest at the Ghanaian Embassy, since Ghana currently chairs the African Union.

Mbawara said: "We thought it was important to go to their embassies while they were open and petition them to put Zimbabwe's human rights on the agenda. All 53 African countries ratified the African Charter, and Zimbabwe is not living up to its protocol."

He added: "Zimbabwe is not respecting human rights. Negotiations are in place but activists are being abducted and beaten. There is no African peer review mechanism here." The youth leader was referring to the talks being mediated by South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki, who also developed the peer review mechanism that is supposed to see African states hold each other accountable.

Mbawara said Free Zim will also march to the home of the British Prime Minister, to petition Gordon Brown to adopt a more engaging stance towards the Mugabe regime. Mbawara said: "Britain needs to play a more engaging role since they are being accused of agitating for regime change. We want to tell Brown to not be so vocal because it gives Mugabe political leverage."

The demonstration on Friday will begin at 1:00 P.M. at the Zambian Embassy at Palace Gates, Kensington. They will then march to Ghana's Embassy and to Number 10 Downing Street.

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