The centre cited events in Namibia and South Africa ahead of last weekend’s SADC summit as examples of regional law enforcers employing tactics for which the Zimbabwean police are infamous.
During the SADC extraordinary summit last month, uniformed Namibian police officers arrested Zimbabwean human rights activists at the instigation of Zimbabwe’s Central Intelligence Organisation.
Last week, South African police quashed anti-Mugabe protests in Johannesburg at the venue of the Summit.
As civil society activists held conferences and marches in preparation for the event, there were allegations of the deployment of Zimbabwe’s secret police and aggressive Zanu (PF) representatives, a move SALC said was an attempt to shrink democratic space at the regional level.
“Regrettably Zimbabwe’s machinery of violence has now been externalised to some of the member states,” said Lloyd Kuveya, SALC regional advocacy head, in a statement.
He said it would be folly to place faith in the regional body to resolve Zimbabwe’s problems while such problems were spilling into neighbouring countries.
“Although it may only be a dream that SADC will help us restore our country, it would be the worst nightmare were the Zimbabwean crisis to be exported to other countries,” added Kuveya.
Research in Zimbabwe by numerous human rights organisations has identified the police as being among the worst violators of human rights.
Post published in: Africa News