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This article participates on the following special index pages:
Index of articles on the mistreatment of the legal profession in Zimbabwe
Harassment
of lawyers must stop, says IBA
International
Bar Association (IBA)
May 16, 2007
Visit
the special index page on the mistreatment of the legal profession
in Zimbabwe
The International Bar
Association (IBA)'s Human Rights Institute called for an immediate
end to the escalating police violence and harassment against lawyers
in Zimbabwe. The IBA is particularly concerned by recent police
attacks on prominent Zimbabwean human rights lawyers seeking to
defend both opposition members and other lawyers.
The IBA calls for Zimbabwe
to observe its international human rights obligations. Zimbabwe
is bound by Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights and Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and
Peoples' Rights to guarantee the right to legal counsel of one's
choosing.
Furthermore, the IBA
calls for the Zimbabwean Government to observe the provisions of
the Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, which provide that
governments must ensure that lawyers are able to perform all of
their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance or
harassment.
'The ongoing assaults
and intimidation of human rights lawyers in Zimbabwe indicates that
Robert Mugabe remains unperturbed by widespread international criticism
of his attacks against political dissenters and human rights defenders,'
said Mark Ellis, Executive Director of the International Bar Association.
'The situation is deplorable and the international community
should not continue to stand by and watch Robert Mugabe's
Government destroy the last vestiges of the rule of law.'
On 15 May 2007, Zimbabwe
police arrested ten lawyers in Mutare for protesting against the
continued harassment and arrests of their fellow legal practitioners.
The police detained the lawyers at Mutare Central Police Station
before releasing them without charge later that afternoon.
A day earlier, Zimbabwe
police arrested lawyer Jonathan Samkange, on the grounds that he
falsely declared that a guest he had hosted was a visitor instead
of an intended witness in the Mann extradition. After being detained
overnight, Mr Samkange was taken to court where the charges were
dropped.
These arrests form part
of a series of Government attacks on and intimidation of lawyers,
which has escalated since the 7 March 2007 prayer meeting in Highfield.
The IBA demands that Zimbabwe police cease their attacks against
lawyers immediately and that lawyers be allowed to carry out their
professional duties freely.
On 7 May, the IBA called
for the immediate release of lawyers Alec Muchadahama and Andrew
Makoni, who had been detained and charged with terrorism for representing
31 members of the opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change.
The police had detained the lawyers in violation of a High Court
decision absolving them of wrongdoing, but have since released them
on bail. On 8 May, the IBA also wrote to the Zimbabwe Police Commissioner,
Augustine Chihuri, expressing its alarm that Zimbabwe police had
beaten a number of highly-respected lawyers for being involved in
a peaceful and legally-constituted protest against the arrests of
Mr Makoni and Mr Muchadahama. No response has been received.
For further information/expanded
commentary, please contact:
Romana St Matthew - Daniel
Press Office
International Bar Association
10th Floor
1 Stephen Street
London W1T 1AT
United Kingdom
Tel: + 44 (0)20 7691 6868
Fax: + 44 (0)20 7691 6544
E-mail: romana.daniel@int-bar.org
Website: www.ibanet.org
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