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The president swears-in human rights commissioners
Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights)
April 06, 2010

Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) welcomes, albeit with skepticism, swearing in of Zimbabwe human rights commissioners.

While the move is a stepping stone in the fulfillment of the provisions of the Global political Agreement (GPA), ZimRights doubts that it will make a meaningful contribution to the human rights situation in the country. A peek at past commissions shows that they have been nothing but toothless bulldogs and have not done anything to change the status quo.

The commission is faced with a daunting task, taking into account the country's rights record. While the country clamours for truth telling as a way of achieving national healing and reconciliation, the police continue to clamp down on any institutions that try to initiate the same. ZimRights recently had some such incidences as seen by the unwarranted arrest of its National Director and intimidation when it tried to exhibit pictures that depict the journey the country has traveled since the foiled save Zimbabwe Campaign Prayer meeting of March 11, 2007.

The functions of the Human rights Commission are to promote the protection, development, and attainment of human rights; to monitor, assess, investigate and ensure observance of human rights in Zimbabwe and to perform such other functions as may be prescribed in an Act of parliament. In addition, the commission has the mandate to persuade the government of Zimbabwe to ratify the United Nations Convention Against Torture.

It is RimRights' hope that the commissioners will be capacitated so that they can fulfill their duties in tandem with the will of the people. The unity government has held the people of Zimbabwe at ransom for too long and ZimRights emphasizes that "rights delayed are rights equally denied"

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