ZIMBABWE’S civil society under the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum is lobbying the region to exert pressure on the government to ratify and domesticate the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance to ensure free and fair elections next year.
The forum has also called out President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government for abusing the judicial system and the police to further his interests.
“The increase in the use of violence as a means of gaining a political and electoral advantage or of accumulating or sustaining political control as the nation inches closer to 2023 harmonised elections has the potential of degeneration with repercussions too dire to contemplate not just for the country itself, but for the region as well,” said the forum in a statement on the Overall Human Rights Situation in Zimbabwe at the ongoing 73rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Gambia.
Human rights organisations say the situation in Zimbabwe has worsened because the government continues to pay lip service to its commitments under the Human Rights Charter, with a total of 1 119 human rights violations by the State between the period May to September 2022 having been documented by the forum.
The forum also raised concern about increasing levels of violence as the country heads towards elections expected in the next nine months, according to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.
Most of the violations were being perpetrated by the police which the forum says had become highly partisan.
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“We, therefore, request the Honourable Commission to exert pressure on the Zimbabwe Government to ratify and domesticate the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance as a necessary step in ensuring that the scheduled 2023 harmonised elections are free, fair and democratic,” said the forum.
“Actively ensure that the Zimbabwe government pays due regard to regional best practice regarding pre-trial detention by calling upon the Government of Zimbabwe to domesticate and abide by the “Principles and guidelines on the right to a fair trial and legal assistance in Africa’ proclaimed by the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights.”
The forum also called upon the government of Zimbabwe to conform to the provisions of the African Charter which protect the right to freedom of association and assembly and provide specific protections to human rights defenders that include the right to conduct human rights work individually and in association with others.
Quite often, the forum said, it is only opposition supporters who are targeted and arrested whilst ruling party supporters benefit with impunity.
“These cases are illustrative of the manipulation of the Zimbabwe criminal justice system that violates Article 6 of the Charter. Article 6 protects the right to liberty and security of the person, thus including the right that no one may be arbitrarily arrested or detained,” it added.
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