Maravi

(NEWZIMBABWE) State agents step-up terror campaign

COMMENT - The ANC never demanded postponing of any elections. And yet these foreign government funded so-called NGOs want the Zimbabwean elections suspended and not held in 2012, as 'Mugabe insists' (actually election time is regulated by the GPA)? They are going to cry about a lot of human rights abuses that don't pan out by the time anyone would check up on them. But by then their lies would have served their purpose. So if you make any charge, prove it.

State agents step-up terror campaign
08/10/2011 00:00:00
by Barnabas Thondhlana

RIGHTS abuses by state security agents are likely to worsen following an escalation of threats, intimidation and harassment against perceived opponents of President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF party, civil society organisations have warned.

Opponents also claim that Zanu PF has already activated its terror machine with incidents of violent attacks increasing across the country as the party readies for elections which Mugabe insists must be held by March next year.

Civic society organisations have thus declared that the country puts off plans for the 2012 poll and, instead, concentrate on instituting much-needed reforms to ensure credible electoral processes.

This is the position that the civic organisations have taken to Geneva, Switzerland, for the United Nations Human Rights council’s 12th session of the universal periodic review where Zimbabwe will on October 10, 2011 present its report on the human rights situation in the country.

Over a dozen civil society leaders are on an advocacy mission in Geneva and some of the groups represented include Zimbabwe Human rights Association, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO forum.

Irene Petras from the Lawyers for Human Rights said it was imperative that government addressed the issue of what measures could be taken to protect the voter and the vote before, during and after the next elections.

“What reform measures have been or will be taken to ensure that the Electoral Commission (EC) is independent, efficient and transparent,” asked Petras.

“Is government taking steps to facilitate voting for everyone including Zimbabweans living outside Zimbabwe (as well as) those people living with disabilities?”

She called on government to adopt a hybrid electoral system, reform institutions that play a role in elections, develop, implement an Electoral Code of Conduct that is legally enforceable in order to promote free and fair elections and establish a permanent independent Electoral Court to preside over all electoral matters.

“The government must take the necessary legislative and administrative reforms for the Electoral Commission (EC) to be independent, efficient, transparent and accountable with adequate human and financial resources,” Petras said.

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“The EC must clean up the voters roll before the next elections. Necessary administrative and legislative measures that facilitate the right to vote freely and fairly of people in the Diaspora, people living with disabilities must be embraced.”

Zimbabwe has conducted regular elections using the First-Past- the-Post electoral system, but the last general elections in 2008 proved inconclusive, leading to the formation of the Inclusive Government (IG).

Said Dhewa Mavhinga, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition regional co-ordinator: “The key message is broadly that 2012 is not an election year but must be a year for credible electoral reforms.”

This is in sharp contrast to the Zimbabwe government’ s 17-page report to the UN Human Rights Council UPR, prepared by the Ministry of Justice, which paints a picture of a country desirous of promoting and upholding human rights for all despite the illegal sanctions’ induced challenges.

The report paints a rosy picture of the human rights situation in Zimbabwe. But it ascribes some glaring human rights anomalies to the “illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe”.

The 15-page document, prepared by the Ministry of Justice and to be presented by Patrick Chinamasa, is starkly different from what civil society leaders will tell the UN.
“We seek to show that the reality is a far cry from what is contained in the government report,” said Dhewa.

“Different organizations will focus on their areas of expertise to demonstrate the true state of human rights in Zimbabwe and to show how the country is not prepared to hold democratic elections in 2012 as president Mugabe and ZANU-PF would want.”

Said Petras: “The government is encouraged to consider reforms of laws such as AIPPA, POSA, Criminal Law Code and the Broadcasting Services Act and other measures to prevent hate speech, violations of freedom of expression, assembly and association in line with the ICCPR.”
But the government has come out guns blazing, beating its chest on what it says are human rights positives in Zimbabwe.

Paragraph 82 of the government report reads: “Government opened up communication platforms in the broadcasting sector through the licensing of commercial radio broadcasting services and satellite-based subscription services.”

However, Mavhinga said: “No independent commercial radio licences have ever been issued and there has been no movement at all on issuing community radio licences.

“It’s now five months since the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) finally called for applications for two commercial radio licences. Just a few days ago, BAZ announced they would start holding public hearings on October 18th to determine the suitability of applicants for the two licences.

“The authority received an estimated 15 applications from aspiring broadcasters. On 18th October only one of those will be looked at. If they look at one a month we would be 15 months away from the process being completed,” he said.

Petras called on government to criminalise torture in all its national laws and policies, and consider creating an independent civilian oversight body for the police and other security operatives and adopt other measures to prevent incidents of torture.
Zimbabwe has created Commissions on Human Rights, Media, Anti-Corruption and Elections.

The police, army and Central Intelligence Organisation has for long been associated with fighting from Mugabe’s corner in the electoral process and going all out to ensure that the 87-year old leader stays in office.

The CSO’s called on Mugabe and Prime Minister Tsvangirai to fulfil their promise to reform state institutions, in a bid to end human rights violations that have continued in the country since the formation of the unity government two and half years ago.

Torture, harassment and politically motivated prosecutions of human rights defenders and perceived opponents have persisted, while villagers in many parts of the country have suffered ceaseless intimidation by supporters of the former ruling ZANU PF party.

Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS (ZIMBABWE), MDC, NEOCOLONIALISM, NGOs, POLITICAL VIOLENCE, PROPAGANDA

posted by MrK @ 6:54 PM