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Rice pays tribute to group that suffers persecution to help others
Jane Morse, USINFO
December 11, 2007

Washington -- A group of dedicated Zimbabwean lawyers that defend victims of politically motivated persecution in their country is being honored by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with her first Freedom Defenders Award.

Arnold Tsunga accepted the award on behalf of the nongovernmental organization Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) at a special ceremony held December 10 at the U.S. Department of State. Tsunga, ZLHR's executive director, has suffered police raids on his home, arrest and death threats for his work in defending human rights in his country.

In its 10 years of existence, ZLHR has worked to foster a culture of human rights in Zimbabwe and provide legal representation for pro-democracy activists who often are illegally arrested, detained, beaten and tortured under the brutal regime of Robert Mugabe. In the process, the lawyers, law students and staff of ZLHR have themselves become targets of persecution and vilification. Many, along with their family members, have received death threats and have been arrested and assaulted by police.

In recognition of their bravery, Rice awarded ZLHR the Freedom Defenders Award, instituted to honor foreign activists and/or nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that demonstrate outstanding commitment to advancing liberty and courage in the face of adversity.

ZLHR, despite the abuses it has been forced to endure, has been instrumental in maintaining international and regional pressure on the Mugabe regime by filing challenges to government policies and actions in international and regional bodies as well as in local courts.

ZLHR also presented compelling testimony to the African Union's African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR), highlighting the destructive and abusive nature of Operation Restore Order, the Mugabe government's disastrous 2005 campaign in which more than 700,000 people lost their homes. In a stinging rebuke of the Mugabe regime, ACHPR adopted a resolution condemning the human rights situation in Zimbabwe and urged the government to implement a series of recommendations.

Worst year ever for human rights activists

The 2007 crackdown by the Mugabe government has been the worst ever. Nongovernmental organizations have reported more than 6,000 instances of human rights abuses; 3,463 victims of government attacks have required medical treatment -- triple that of 2006. Attacks, arrests and abductions continue unabated, with more than 500 instances of human rights abuses reported each month. (See related text and fact sheet)

In the last year, the ZLHR caseload has increased by more than 20 percent.

United States to impose additional sanctions

The United States is responding by imposing additional sanctions against the worst perpetrators of the regime's brutality.

Financial sanctions will be imposed in the coming days against individuals and companies who have played a central role in the regime's escalating human rights abuses, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer announced December 3. (See related text)

The United States also will impose travel sanctions against 38 additional individuals, including nine state security officials involved in human rights abuses and anti-democratic activities in recent months. The affected individuals will include at least five adult children of the Mugabe government officials implicated in the December activities who are currently studying in the United States, Frazer said.

But despite increased sanctions, she said, U.S. food aid, assistance to HIV/AIDS victims and other humanitarian aid will continue in order to help ordinary Zimbabwean citizens.

In 2007, the United States will deliver more than $170 million in food aid to feed more than 1.5 million Zimbabweans.

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