ZEF Appeal to the President

His Excellency President Robert G. Mugabe
Office of the President
Munhumutapa Building
Samora Machel Avenue/3rd Street
Box 7700
Causeway
Harare, Zimbabwe
Fax 092634734644

Your Excellency
We would like to draw your attention to recent incidences of grave violations


of human rights of Zimbabwean citizens in the quelling of peaceful public protests by the Zimbabwe Republic Police. On 11 September, 13 September, 14 September and 20 September 2006 demonstrations took place in Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare, Gweru and Masvingo against the unbearable economic conditions and ever-deteriorating service delivery in the country. These were mainly labour marches organized by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and other civil society groups such as Women Of Zimbabwe Arise(WOZA) and the National Constitutional Assembly(NCA).
There are credible reports that the marchers were arrested and detained for exercising their right to peaceful demonstrations. They were locked up in inhabitable police cells without food and water and access to relatives, friends or lawyers for several days.. What is more alarming is that these detainees were invariably heavily assaulted and tortured by police while in custody. Some suffered broken bones and other serious injuries for which medical evidence can be availed.
On 11 September 2006 over 100 WOZA members were arrested ahead of a planned sit-in at Town House in Harare to protest against poor services in the city. Five babies and a pregnant woman were also detained with these protesters posing a serious hazard to their health. On 14 September 2006 members of the ZCTU were severely beaten up at Matapi Police Station following peaceful demonstrations against the astronomical cost of living in Zimbabwe.
As an organization working towards the protection and promotion of the human rights of Zimbabweans, the Zimbabwe Exiles Forum appeals to the Zimbabwean authorities in particular the Zimbabwe Republic Police to uphold the guarantee to protection of the law given under section 18 as well as the right to the freedoms of assembly, association and expression enshrined in sections 20 and 21 of the Zimbabwe Constitution. The assaulting and torture of detainees in police cells is in stark contravention of section 15 of Zimbabwe’s Constitution which outlaws torture. Further, the police actions are in violation of the terms of the United Nations Convention Against Torture and other Inhuman and Degrading Treatment including Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights which prohibits torture and to which Zimbabwe is a party.
We therefore urge your office to thoroughly investigate these incidents with a view to punish the perpetrators, offer redress to the victims and put a definite end to these abuses of basic human rights.
Yours Faithfully
For : Gabriel Shumba
Executive Director and Human Rights Lawyer
cc-Women of Zimbabwe Arise
P O Box FM 701
Bulawayo
Zimbabwe


Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions
P O Box 3549
Harare
Zimbabwe


National Constitutional Assembly
38 Herbert Chitepo Avenue
Harare, Zimbabwe


H. E. Florence Zano Chideya
Ambassador of the Republic of Zimbabwe
Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe
332 Somerset St.W.
Ottawa,Ontario
K2P 0J9

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