Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe

A group of ROHR Zimbabwe radical human rights activists yesterday around 1000 hours convened in the city centre to send a clear message to the Southern African Development Committee (SADC)  Troika to take up a hard stance on the political parties, especially ZANU Pf  and its leader Robert Mugabe, to own up to their agreements under the Global Political Agreement. Singing protesters marched from Cameroon Street into Jason Moyo Avenue towards the Harare International Conference Centre where the SADC regional special committee on security and politics was holding talks to resolve the impasse on the slow implementation of the GPA.

ROHR Zimbabwe is calling on the SADC leaders to desist from supporting ZANU Pf and Mugabe’s stranglehold on power at the expense of the Zimbabwean people. The coalition government is a circumvent to the aspirations of people who voted on March 29 to elect a leader of their choice to head government. SADC leaders therefore stand to be reminded that it is the people of Zimbabwe who should benefit from the Troika’s interventions and not to legitimize narrow partisan political agendas that lack the mandate of the people.

In carrying out its fact finding mission the SADC Troika should take note of the following fundamental issues of concern to redirect the nation towards the path to a democratic reforms:
1) The uniformed forces should execute their duties professionally without discriminating on the grounds of political affiliation. Investigations should be made on the fresh reports on the abduction of MDC supporters by armed police officials.
2) Draconian media legislature POSA and AIPPA should be repealed as a matter of urgency as a free and independent media is key for the establishment of a democratic society. The state broadcaster should desist from funning hate speech and lies aimed at prejudicing the public against civil society organizations and other political parties apart from ZANU PF.      
3) The office of the attorney general should immediately cease intimidation campaigns that are targeted at harassing human rights defenders and political activist.
4)ZANU PF should demobilize and disarm the militia, the proxies of violence that are still active in the rural areas since the acrimonious epoch of political terror that claimed more than 180 lives and displaced thousands in March-June 2008.  
5) Known perpetrators of violence must face the law regardless of political affiliation and rank in society. 

SADC the guarantor to the GPA last month disappointed the expectations of many Zimbabweans who had hoped to see the regional body taking a tough stance against President Mugabe and ZANU Pf at the Kinshasa DRC summit.

For BBC video of the demonstration, check: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8334881.stm

Pinsi Tauro, Gladys Guvheya and Tariro Benhura were heavily assaulted with an iron bar by a ZANU PF self confessed war veteran Jacob Chiripanyanga yesterday around 0700 hours in the morning at Foothills farm in Bindura. Tauro, who is battling for his life sustained serious head injuries, lost a lot of blood, collapsed and was unconscious for one and half hours before he was admitted at a local hospital in Bindura where he’s yet to receive treatment.

Jacob Chiripanyanga uprooted plants from Tauro’s garden before striking him several times with an iron rod in a deliberate move aimed at violent ouster for all the farm workers deemed supporters of the Movement for Democratic change (MDC).The warfare has now been directed towards destruction of the only source of livelihood for the farm workers who survive on small scale gardening.

It is unfortunate that no action has been taken by the police to bring the culprit Jacob Chiripanyanga to book despite the fact that the incident was reported at Bindura police station yesterday.

Chiripanyanga is taking matters into his own hands despite the fact that he has filed an application at the Bindura magistrate courts under case number C232/9 due to be heard on the 19th of October. Inhabitants of Foothills farm are exposed to the worst human rights violations in the hands of marauding ZANU Pf supporters who have become law unto themselves, unleashing a reign of anarchy in Mashonaland West province.

Political violence against farm workers continues unchecked across the country as law enforcement agents are reluctant to act in political cases involving Mugabe’s loyalists.

Meanwhile the vice president of ROHR Zimbabwe Sten Zvorwadza is set to appear in court on Monday 19 October 0800 hours at Rotten Row magistrate courts on trumped up charges following a peaceful protest that was held last year in January in which more than 200 members of ROHR Zimbabwe were calling for the investigation of the murder of Fibeon Mafukidze who was beaten to death by army officials from Eastdale military base in Gutu under the instruction of Selina Mumbengegwi wife to the then minister of finance Samuel Mumbengegwi.

26 people were heavily assaulted and brutalized by the ZRP police for taking part in the peaceful demonstration.

One year after the formation of the coalition government between ZANU PF and the two MDC formations, it is regrettable that the attorney general’s office continues to harass and persecute outspoken human rights activist through the systematic abuse of the rule of law when people who committed documented bloody crimes with impunity during the March- June 2008 harmonized election violence are still walking free.

Renowned human rights lawyer Alec Muchadehama has also fallen victim to the attorney general’s misconduct and intimidation campaign that is targeted at human rights defenders.

(Information via ROHR Zimbabwe)