"Reinstate the Rule of Law," Zimbabwe is urged

by Cuthbert Nzou

HARARE - Amnesty International has challenged Zimbabwe's inclusive government to impose the rule of law in the country and that the administration acts against state agents and government officials who continue to violate human rights.

"The relentless silencing of government critics that characterised the previous administration is a blight on the record of the inclusive government," said Simeon Mawanza, Amnesty International's expert on Zimbabwe in a report released yesterday.

Amnesty criticised the arrest of two independent journalists and a prominent human rights lawyer over the past three weeks.

On May 11, journalists, Vincent Kahiya and Constantine Chimakure of the privately owned Zimbabwe Independent weekly were arrested and charged for publishing an article, which the state claimed, was "wholly or materially false with the intention to generate public hostility towards the police, the military and the prison service".

They were released the following day on bail and were yesterday remanded on bail to June 16 for trial. Amnesty said it believes the journalists were arrested and detained purely for exercising their right to freedom of expression.

On May 14, prominent human rights lawyer, Alec Muchadehama, who had been representing a number of human rights and political activists, was arrested and detained by officers from the police's law and order section, notorious for harassing perceived opponents of President Robert Mugabe's ZANU PF party.

Muchadehama was charged with "defeating or obstructing the course of justice" and released on bail. Amnesty said it was concerned about the apparent lack of political will by the power-sharing government to create an environment in which human rights
and media workers could freely do their work. The organisation urged the Southern Africa Development Community and the African Union to use their role as guarantors of Zimbabwe's inter-party agreement to end on going human rights violations.

"The continued harassment and intimidation of perceived government critics has held back the international community from providing much needed assistance to ensure the realisation of the economic and social rights of Zimbabwean people," said Amnesty.

"For the inclusive government to live up to its international obligations to ensure the realisation of the economic and social rights of Zimbabwean people, it urgently needs to create the conditions in which donors can feel confident about providing assistance," said Mawanza.

Amnesty International also expressed concern about reports of victims of political violence who have taken up matters into their own hands in an attempt to recover their property that was looted by ZANU PF supporters between the March and June 2008 elections.

Police were quick to arrest the people involved, but no action was taken against known perpetrators of the 2008 human rights abuses despite reports being made to the police by the victims.

"Partisan policing needs to be brought to an end, said Mawanza. "The needs of victims of the state sponsored human rights violations have to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Those responsible for human rights violations have to be held accountable and the victims accorded effective remedies." - ZimOnline