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Lawyers complain of human rights abuse in Zimbabwe
Caiphas Chimhete, The Standard (Zimbabwe)
October 17, 2004

http://www.thestandard.co.zw/read.php?st_id=780

THE Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) in conjunction with the Institute of Human Rights and Development in Africa has filed a complaint with the African Commission on Human and People's Rights (ACHPR) over continued gross abuse of human rights and poor administration of justice in the country.

The two organisations called on the African Commission to apply pressure on President Robert Mugabe's government to stop gross human rights abuses as well as allow the participation of citizens in issues of governance.

The ACHPR, earlier clashed with Zimbabwean authorities over a damning report that detailed gross human rights abuses in the country. In July debate on the report was deferred after the Zimbabwean government lobbied against its discussion at the African Union (AU) summit in Ethiopian.

Dr Stan Mudenge, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, protested against the report at the AU summit, saying Zimbabwe was not accorded an opportunity to respond to allegations in the report.

The controversial report is scheduled for discussion at the commission's 36th Ordinary Session in Senegal next month.

Arnold Tsunga, the director of ZLHR, a human rights advocacy organisation, said his organisation had taken up the matter with the ACHPR after being gravely concerned about the absence of real and effective remedies for human rights violations in domestic tribunals.

"In particular, the courts in Zimbabwe have increasingly failed to be the guarantor and protector of fundamental rights and freedoms resulting in the rise in cases of lawlessness and abuse of power by the Executive," said the ZLHR director.

"With the elections in March 2005, it is necessary that the Zimbabwean government be taken to task on issues of addressing electoral irregularities, which characterized the elections in 2000 and 2002," Tsunga said.

In their communication to the ACHPR, the organisations also cited, among other things, skewed laws and pending electoral petitions that were yet to be finalised, six months before Zimbabweans go to the polls again in 2005.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) filed most of the outstanding electoral petitions soon after the 2000 parliamentary polls.

Also, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai's electoral challenge of Mugabe's victory in the 2002 presidential polls has not been finalised.

Philliat Matsheza, the executive director of the Human Rights Trust of Southern Africa (SAHRIT), said filing of a complaint to the commission is normally done after all internal channels have been exhausted.

"Although the commission has no enforcement mechanisms, governments are expected to comply with its findings because it puts the image of that particular government in bad light," Matsheza said.

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