Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe

From the ROHR Zimbabwe Information Department

ROHR Zimbabwe is grappling to come to terms with the attempts by the ministry of home affairs to deny the people their legitimate right to hold the government to account and demand transparency through peaceful protests. It is a classic dramatic irony of the most extravagant nature; only one year governing alongside ZANU Pf, an MDC minister of all people elected by the people of Zimbabwe, would be at the part of a controversial alleged move to withdraw a legitimate fundamental right of the people in the backdrop of over a decade protracted struggle for democracy and human rights that has claimed lives of innocent men, women and children.

If there is anything that the MDC can do to stop this madness, it is to be truthful about the situation on the ground and put pressure on their defiant partner in government ZANU Pf to restrain from engaging in violent tendencies. Violence is a destructive force to our national brand; it stands averse to the current peace building efforts, the constitution making process, democratic transitional reforms and the economic recovery efforts to lure investment in the country to resuscitate the economy.

As an organization we view the untenable decision to ban protest ahead of the world cup as a criminal fraudulent attempt by the coalition government to create a misleading image of an all-is-well in the house approach while there is a backdrop of growing persecution of victims of political violence, political activists, human rights defenders and journalists. It is regrettable that we have new incidences of violence and destruction of property in the grassroots communities around the country particularly in Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West and Manicaland.

ROHR Zimbabwe’s growing impatience with the outbreaks of violence targeted at vulnerable victims of political violence across the country has reached intolerable levels. In the wake of rampant allegations of a partisan police, that is reluctance to guarantee security, safety and the observance of the rule of law. It is only through protest that the voices of victims of violence can be amplified and heard as an attempt to advocate for redress.

The attempt to ban peaceful protest, if left unchallenged, sets in motion a bad precedence that people’s democratic fundamental rights can be withdrawn at the whim of politicians and government officials. 

ROHR Zimbabwe therefore intends to hold a peaceful march to call upon the coalition government to make concrete steps to ensure that violence is ceased forthwith. The coalition government should address the plight of victims of political violence in the country. We are concerned that the infrastructure that caused untold suffering among innocent people in the 2008 elections is still intact and so far its existence has inspired the continued harassment of victims of political violence. We have received reports of not less than 50 families so far, forced to flee their homes due to systematic intimidation campaigns by youth militia and ZANU Pf supporters.

We reiterate our position that human rights are not gifts bestowed on the people at the pleasure of governments but they are universal and should apply to all. We seek to engage in a peaceful march to highlight the following demands to the coalition government:

• The security of victims of political violence should be guaranteed regardless of political affiliation especially during the constitutional outreach scheduled to kick start very soon.
• Perpetrators of violence should be stopped from committing further crimes to the ones still lurking unaccounted for from the past eras stretching decades back to post independence. If left free they will continue to haunt communities and cause chaos because they are the chief drivers of impunity who deal a blow to the rule of law.
• The police should step up efforts to arrest all those who commit crimes in the name of political patronage. No one is immune from or above the law.
• The coalition government needs to make serious investigations on the allegations of threats of widespread organized violence by ZANU Pf after the world cup in South Africa.
• The coalition government should promote a culture of truth telling to set a foundation for a credible national healing process that is built on transitional justice.
• The organ on National Healing should be dissolved if it’s not producing tangible results. Its continued presence is a burden on the taxpayer. 

For Peace, Justice and Freedom

ROHR Zimbabwe joins the people of Africa from the entire member states of the African Union to commemorate this year’s African Day of Freedom which is being commemorated under the theme ‘The year of peace and security’. The year of peace was proclaimed by the 14th ordinary session of the African Union Assembly in Addis Ababa Ethiopia and the Tripoli Declaration on the Elimination of Conflicts in Africa and the Promotion of sustainable Peace. African Freedom Day came to be as a result of the 1st Pan African conference of 1958 to symbolize the unity and determination of the people of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation. We acknowledge that the hosting of the 2010 World Cup Football show which kicks off in a few days is a historic milestone for the entire African continent.

This year’s commemorations come at a time when the continent of Africa is in need of visionary leadership with a new dimension that is premised on development that is based on the foundation of the unity of the people of Africa, the respect of the inalienability of human rights and the dignity of the human family as enshrined in the Universal declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights.

Cognizant of the fact that the body politic in Africa has shifted from the era of colonization by foreign nations, African states have attained sovereignty and self rule, there is need of the African Union to shift attention towards the need of ensuring that people of Africa exercise their fundamental right to chose leaders of their choice without fear of coercion or persecution. The sprouting of negotiated coalition governments as in the case of Zimbabwe and Kenya is against the people’s wishes and runs contrary to democratic principles. 

The persistent raging armed and unarmed conflicts in Madagascar, Somalia, Sudan, Darfur, Guinea and Zimbabwe are attesting to a failed leadership. It is concerning that when leaders fail it is innocent people who bear the brunt of selfish pursuit of power driven struggles.  Millions of African people find themselves outside of their boarders of birth due to the scourge of political conflict, security concerns, and abuse of human rights, economic hardships and poverty.

Worse still, against the spirit of our connectedness derived from our common struggles, challenges and achievements reports have sprouted of cases of gross ill-treatment of refugees in other countries, as in unfortunate case of the xenophobic attacks in South Africa in the recent years.

As ROHR Zimbabwe we note with concern that, a lot needs to be done in putting focus in efforts to promote sustainable peace and security in the grassroots communities particularly in countries emerging from legacies of violence and hotly contested elections like Zimbabwe. The continued relentless victimization of victims of political violence of the year 2008 and subsequent failure of their official recognition particularly by the government of Zimbabwe undermines the declaration of the year 2010 being a year of peace and security.

We challenge the coalition government to use the treatment of past victims of political violence as the barometer of measuring peace efforts before more talk is generated on the country’s preparedness of holding the next credible election that can produce legitimate results that reflect the people’s choices. As long as victims of political violence continue to be persecuted it means any attempt to hold elections will only produce more victims. 

The country can only redeem its image on the continent by refraining from political violence, putting to an end the cancerous culture of impunity, respecting human rights, embracing free political activities, freeing the media and stopping corruption. ROHR Zimbabwe’s Acting Director, Ronald Mureverwi has slammed the recent arbitrary arrest of political party members of the newly formed MDC99 as a serious violation of the GPA and it reflects badly on the countries’ preparedness to transform itself from the dominance of a one party state into a multi party democracy. The suffocation of the political environment amplifies the need for a new democratic constitution that guarantees people’s freedoms.

For Peace, Justice and Freedom