Forum petitions AU heads of state

ution was made after a public hearing on Zimbabwe in Accra last week where evidence-based testimonies of abductions, extra judicial killings, arbitrary arrests, detention, torture, inhuman and degrading treatment was provided by lawyers, trade unionists, students, journalists and political activists.
“We call upon the African Union Heads of States Summit to: Condemn the increasing violence, human rights violations and selective application of the law perpetrated against Zimbabweans; Call upon the government of Zimbabwe to desist from harassing, intimidating, assaulting, arresting and detaining lawyers, journalists, civic society activists, and human rights defenders; Insist on an environment where the enjoyment of constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedoms such as expression, association, assembly and fair trial will not be compromised in any way,” read the resolution.
The CSO Forum insisted that the Mugabe regime be forced to comply with its obligations as articulated in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Principles and Guidelines on the Right to A Fair Trial and Legal Assistance in Africa, the Declaration of Principle on the Right to Freedom of Expression in Africa, and other international human rights instrument.