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Amnesty International Secretary General visits Zimbabwe
Amnesty International Zimbabwe
July 31, 2009

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In 2009 the AIZimbabwe was graced with a visit from a visit from the High Level Mission from Amnesty International which included the Secretary General of Amnesty International, Ms Irene Khan. Amnesty International secretary general was in Zimbabwe for a six day visit. During her first visit to Zimbabwe she held talks with Vice President Joice Mujuru, Minister of Defence Emmerson Mnangagwa, Minister of Education David Coltart, Minister of State in the President's Office Didymus Mutasa, Deputy Minister of Justice Jessie Majome, Co-Home Affairs Ministers Kembo Mohadi and Giles Mutsekwa, and Speaker of Parliament Lovemore Moyo. She also held meetings with the Prime Minister Morgani Tsvangirai in London.

It should be noted that Ministers Didymus Mutasa, Emmerson Mnangagwa and President Robert Mugabe were among the AI Prisoners of Conscience whose release was campaigned for by Amnesty International during their imprisonment by the Smith regime.

Amnesty International called for strengthening the voice of civil society which is critical to society. Amnesty International also called for the rights to freedom of assembly, association and expression to be guaranteed. Ms Khan stated "No meaningful debate can take place without freeing the media. Both national and international media should be allowed to operate freely. This would require neither additional money nor new laws"

Amnesty International also called on the Zimbabwean government and the donor community to expand its humanitarian assistance and focus on primary education, saying the paying of primary school fees and levies must be abolished. The Secretary General noted that parents in Zimbabwe are being forced to make impossible choices such as feeding their children in comparison to educating them, between sending their son or their daughter to school.

The High Level Mission also noted that the establishments of the Inclusive Government and the GPA have changed the political dynamic - and this is something that can and must be built upon both nationally and internationally. The new power-sharing government between the political leaders has established a national healing ministerial team that will address the violence that troubled the country especially in the run-up to last year's run off poll. The High Level Mission also met with board and staff of AIZimbabwe. AIZimbabwe managed to showcase Human Rights Education on one of its campaigns, Stop Violence Against Women at Hopley Farm, 14km outside Harare. More than 1000 participants attended the meeting at Hopley Farm.

This was the first-ever visit by an Amnesty International Secretary General to the Zimbabwe, though the organization has been monitoring human rights in the country since the 1960s.

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