Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe

From ROHR Zimbabwe Information Department

CAMPAIGN SLOGANS
NO to sponsored violence
Do not be lured into violence, resist evil
NO to bloody elections, we are one people
Everyone let’s unite to build peace during election time
Violence of March-June 2008 should never be tolerated nor re-lived
Say NO to partaking in violence, join the peace team
Let’s uphold the universal right to vote without persecution for all
Let’s spread the gospel of peace, violence is a cancer to our society
Peace, our collective responsibility
Peace begins with you

With the election mood looming in the air and the inevitable speculation about elections being held in 2011, whether true or false, there is no doubt that 2008 will ever hold memories in the hearts of all Zimbabweans. The year 2008 is one of the worst legacies of what violence can do to a society divided by the curse of political greed and insatiable ego for power.

Two years down the line, 2008 seems far away yet the effects of the devilish deeds still cling like iron on the leg of a runaway convict. The memory of 2008 has buried hopes and shattered many innocent lives. The deeds of that time remain a curse to those who bear the brunt of them. Those responsible – even though their hands are black like coal, stained with blood of innocent men, women and children – remain the heroes and heroines of the day for getting away with heinous murder, gruesome rape, large scale looting, sanctioned corruption, sponsored torture, maiming, arson – the list is endless.

Serious questions have been raised about 2008 and no answers found. Who was responsible for the violence? Where was the state? What has happened to the perpetrators of the violence? What has happened to the violated innocent people? What lessons have been learnt from the orgy of violence? What has been done to prevent the re-occurrence of this sponsored violence? 

The unfortunate thing is the worrisome fact that those accountable for providing answers are the very culprits of the gross human rights abuses against innocent people. But another question that quickly comes to mind is: Will the answers ever come voluntarily at the perpetrator’s volition?

The spirit of compromise has plagued our society undermining the values of truth, justice, freedom, transparency, accountability and responsibility. By default the coalition government is a by-product of a boardroom dialogue partition of power and authority as opposed to a credible outcome that is hoped for when elections are held. Its sustaining does not lie in the natural collective power of the electorate but in a circumvention of the people’s will. The grandiose uncultured coalition government is made up of three political parties each a predator or prey competing to outdo to stay afloat caged under one roof.

Justice could be delayed but the reign of terror of 2008 should never be allowed in the future. Lessons to be learnt about the destructive force of full blown conflict that breeds violence are very clear for everyone. It is from this basis that ROHR Zimbabwe will launch a deliberate campaign to denounce the past legacy of violence and amplify lessons to be learnt from 2008. The campaign is motivated by the need to set the tone ahead of the possibility of elections being held in the near future.

Noting the incongruities and deliberate negligence of the coalition government in prioritizing the pertinent issue of justice, an end to political violence and culture of impunity ahead of a possible election in the near future, ROHR Zimbabwe makes the following demands:

• The inclusive government should prioritise the issue of justice on all pending issues from the past concerning violation of human rights.
• The Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) should be an independent body free from influence from the executive and political parties
• The security forces should execute their duties impartially and professionally particularly during elections to ensure the observance of the rule of law and ultimately peace
• Military forces should be restricted to their barracks and not unleashed as symbols to intimidate people in the country side
• All those caught in promoting violence should be held accountable and made to pay. All those implicated in 2008 violence and disturbances should not be allowed to be part of the elections administering body.
• Encourage the establishment of peace structures around the country in politically charged and polarized communities.
• The campaign will encourage other stakeholders to join activities like peaceful demonstrations, public meetings, safe dialoguing, interviews etc to put pressure on relevant stakeholders to priorities the issue of peace building and observance of the rule of law

For Peace, Justice and Freedom