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ZLHR
honours courageous human rights lawyers
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)
December 11, 2012
Zimbabwe Lawyers
for Human Rights (ZLHR) on Monday 10 December 2012 presented its
2012 Human Rights Lawyer of the Year Award to two human rights lawyers,
Raymond Moyo and Charles Kwaramba, who have devoted much time, energy,
resources, passion and years to the human rights struggle during
the year. Below is the citation and profiles of the courageous lawyers.
The
2012 Human Rights Lawyer of the Year Award
The environment
within which lawyers operated in 2012 remained challenging as legal
practitioners - the last line of defence - continued to encounter
threats, harassment and intimidation despite state obligations and
responsibilities that enforce adequate protection to members of
the legal fraternity in the exercise of their professional functions.
Although it
is extremely important for lawyers to operate in an independent
and free environment to ensure that the justice delivery process
remains credible, continued attacks impacted negatively on the rights
of lawyers' clients, including access to legal representatives
of their choice.
Lawyers continued
to be denied access to their clients while they were also subjected
to verbal attacks at police stations, in their practices, through
the state-controlled media and in the courtroom.
But despite
the multifarious methods of repression that have continued to litter
the operating environment for lawyers and other Human Rights Defenders
in Zimbabwe, ZLHR once again finds it pertinent to acknowledge its
dedicated member lawyers who in 2012 worked tirelessly towards fostering
a culture of human rights, democracy and sustainable peace in Zimbabwe.
In 2012 and despite the dangerous minefield they paced, courageous
lawyers employed various strategies including litigating, challenging,
protesting and publicly condemning human rights violations by State
and non-State actors in spite of countless threats on their lives
and their families, contributing to human rights awareness and community
capacity-building, amongst other activities. In 2012, the lawyers
whom I will shortly announce were nominated for exhibiting the epitome
of contributing to the struggle for democracy, peace, protection
and promotion of human rights and observance of the Just Rule of
Law in our country.
Citation
of Nominees & Special Mention
This lawyer
was described as a shining beacon of human rights lawyering in one
of the country's most dangerous areas to practice human rights
law and criminal defence. The human rights lawyer often paid a heavy
price for his work, being abducted for approximately one week by
some non-State actors and being hauled before the courts to face
charges of insulting President Robert Mugabe. In spite of such circumstances,
he continues to represent victims on human rights in a manner which
makes him the unsung hero of all the Mashonaland provinces. The
first ZLHR member lawyer to get a special mention is Ernest Jena
of Jena & Associates Legal Practitioners in Bindura.
This lawyer
has been on the frontline in defending human rights. The lawyer
from the Midlands province, who reacts to needy HRD's in remote
areas such as Gokwe, faces a daily peril which lawyers in the major
centres such as Harare and Bulawayo do not face in the same proximate
hubristic and brazen fashion. The second ZLHR member lawyer to get
a special mention is Reginald Chidawanyika of Chitere, Chidawanyika
and Partners Legal Practitioners in Gweru.
Human
Rights Lawyer of the Year 2012
The joint winners
of the 2012 Human Rights Lawyer of the Year Award are two legal
practitioners who have devoted much time, energy, resources, passion
and years to the human rights struggle.
They have sacrificed
countless hours, energy, resources and commitment to the cause of
their clients.
The first joint
winner laboured for five years representing his clients' right
to freedom of worship and assembly and quite recently, he won a
much-publicised and welcomed Supreme Court order which ended the
unprecedented assault on religious freedom among Anglican parishioners
in Zimbabwe. His patience during the five-year battle and his persistence
embody the true meaning of a humble lawyer. Even as we gather tonight,
the joint winner, this afternoon scored yet another victory for
his tormented clients after Judge President Justice George Chiweshe
dismissed an appeal filed in the High Court by Nolbert Kunonga,
the ex-communicated and renegade church leader. His name is Raymond
Moyo, a ZLHR member and partner with Gill, Godlonton & Gerrans
legal practitioners.
The other joint
winner was described by the nominating party as "young, patient
and resilient". He continues to handle the most head-cracking,
highly publicised and emotionally draining case involving 29 Glenview
residents, who have been charged
with murder. Despite being subjected to reprimand by judges
through a forum to which he has been denied his right of reply,
he has been in court almost on a daily basis to secure his client's
interests and lately such resolute pursuit resulted in the admission
to bail of three of some of his clients. The job is not yet done
as the legal processes continue and he still has to manoeuvre some
disciplinary procedures but we are sure that with his diligence
he will win the final battle for his clients. The second joint winner
is ZLHR member Charles Kwaramba of Mbidzo, Muchadehama & Makoni
legal practitioners.
Visit the ZLHR
fact
sheet
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