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E-mailA 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2) Draconian media legislature POSA and AIPPA should be repealed as a matter of urgency as a free and independent media is key for the establishment of a democratic society.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
