According to the ZLHR statistics from January 1 to August 9, 2011, a total of 878 people were either arrested, detained or prosecuted while others were subjected to attacks and harassment that required legal protection.
Before the Livingstone meeting that was held in Zambia at the end of March, 322 people were arrested, detained or prosecuted, while 293 were harassed or subjected to any other form of attack that required legal intervention, bringing the total pre-Livingstone figures to 615.
After the Livingstone summit, where SADC openly condemned President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu (PF) party, the incidences of human rights abuses were on the fall but still high.
263 people were, according to the ZLHR statistics, arrested or detained and or prosecuted and also attacked and experienced other forms of harassment that required legal intervention.
ZLHR Director, Irene Petras, said that the situation could have been worse had it not been for the Livingstone summit that read the riot act to Mugabe and his Zanu (PF) party.
“The violations could have been worse if there was no SADC summit in Livingstone,” said Petras.
Analysts have called upon SADC to follow through and put measures in place that will ensure human rights are observed and also that parties comply with the Global Political Agreement (GPA).
Petras said that SADC, which is currently meeting in Luanda, Angola should continue with its stance on Zimbabwe and consider introducing a sanction that will compel partners in the Government of National Unity (GNU) to uphold the GPA.
Post published in: Politics