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NGOs have the right to meet UN Commissioner on Human Rights
Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights)
May 21, 2012

Reference is made to panicking human rights violators who, through today's state controlled Herald newspaper, claim that Non-Governmental Organizations were planning to furnish the visiting UN-Commissioner on Human Rights, Ms Navanethem Pillay with negative reports on the human rights situation in the country.

The article says, "NGOs are allegedly scrambling to produce damning dossiers and documents on Zimbabwe's human rights situation for Ms.Pillay's attention in a bid to sway the UN's opinion against the country."

Setting the record straight, NGOs reports are neither aimed at influencing the commissioner's opinion nor crafted to lure funding from Western countries as the article further alleges. The fears speak a lot. If Zimbabwe truly has a clean sheet of respect and promotion of human rights; to which we strongly disagree, then, Ms. Pillay should be allowed to interact with any group that has something to offer. Even the president is on record agreeing that promoting violence is a mistake that his party, ZANU PF has made. NGOs have the right to give their own take and it is within their mandate. If the most trusted protector of human rights (state) fails to do the job, obviously getting international attention becomes one of the way out. The said scramble to us is a counter to the usual state approach to misguide and misinform such officials by taking them on a guided tour where they would deliberately avoid areas that need attention the most. Therefore, to NGOs, this one is an opportune time that should not be missed.

Meanwhile, a coalition of over fifty NGOs today held a press conference raising concerns over government through the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affair' "ambush to the plans that had been made and already put in place by CSOs in preparation for the visit by the High Commissioner." The permanent secretary, David Mangota is said to have unilaterally changed the venue for a one and half hour meeting that the CSOs had planned with Ms Pillay to apprise on the situation on the ground. It has been moved to parliament building ad further reports are that he invited several other 'organizations' that are not known to be doing an y work on human rights in Zimbabwe.

The CSOs views the moves as the usual strategy to confuse the high commissioner and take her to people who will " give a glorified and sugar-coated account of the human rights situation in Zimbabwe. In the concluding line of the statement that was presented, the CSOs maintained that they "will convene tomorrow at 11:30am at the original venue as communicated to the organizations concerned, in anticipation of the arrival of the UN Human Rights Commissioner for a fruitful discussion - one which will definitely not occur at Senate Chambers in Parliament.

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