Human Rights Watch (HRW), a New York-headquartered organisation that conducts research and advocacy on human rights, said in its report titled Human Rights Trends of 2009 that Zimbabwe was one of the countries in the world that had the highest human right abuses last year. This is despite the much-vaunted all-inclusive government that was prescribed by the regional Southern African Development Community (SADC) bloc.
In the report, released on Thursday, the organisation also noted that the Zimbabwean government had so far made no attempt to repeal or substantially amend repressive legislation such as the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), which continue to be used by President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) to harass political opponents and human rights activists.
Zanu (PF)s key failures
Zanu (PF) is supposed to be a partner with the MDC in the new government, but it has failed to implement key provisions of the power-sharing agreement, read the HRW statement.
Zanu (PF) continues to use its control of the security forces and the judiciary to harass, abduct, torture, and kill those it considers opponents, including senior MDC figures. Despite this, Mugabe’s allies in southern Africa have repeatedly and prematurely called for the lifting of targeted travel restrictions against Zanu (PF) leaders. The report says that the power-sharing government, formed on February 11, 2009, left Zanu (PF) with most of its power intact, effectively maintaining the status quo.
Mugabes party has kept control of all the senior ministries including justice, security, and defense, while the MDC lacks real power and does not consistently speak out against the continued abuses, possibly seeking to save the fledgling power-sharing government. Nevertheless, on October 16, 2009, Prime Minister Tsvangirai announced that the MDC had “disengaged” from the unity government, ostensibly over the treatment of a senior aide but mainly due to intensified Zanu (PF) attacks on his supporters, added HRW.
Human rights violations
The organisation also mentioned the human rights violations in Marange Diamond Fields, cementing its June 2009 report, which detailed diamond smuggling, corruption, and widespread serious human rights abuses. The government of Zimbabwe has so far failed to comply with the KPCS recommendations, despite initial government indications of a willingness to do so. Smuggling continues, and beatings, torture, and other abuses by the army are ongoing. The government has not withdrawn the military from Marange, but has instead rotated new units into the area. The organisation also attacked the KPCS for its failure to stop Zimbabwe’s blood diamonds, which it attributed in part to the blocking efforts of Mugabe’s allies in southern Africa, saying that it marred the KPCS credibility and damages consumer confidence in its commitment to tackling the trade in blood diamonds.
Populist policies to blame
The organisation blamed Zimbabwe’s longstanding authoritarian rule and associated economic crisis for the humanitarian crisis that peaked in February 2009 with a severe cholera outbreak that by June had left up to 100,000 infected and over 4,200 dead, while hunger due to low yields was also blamed on Mugabes populist policies. Levels of infant and maternal mortality rose sharply, marking the collapse of Zimbabwe’s health system. Over five million people faced severe food shortages and had to rely on international aid. On rule of law, the organisation condemned Zanu (PF) and its supporters, who have continued to violently invade commercial farms in total disregard of the rule of law, and police intimidation and harassment of MDC and human rights activists, which persist unabated.
The organisation also accused the SADC and the broader African Union (AU), both guarantors of the GPA, of having so far failed to apply sufficient pressure on Zanu (PF) to deliver rights reforms and ensure respect for human rights as stipulated in the agreement.
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