Presenting the report—"Zimbabwe: Ongoing risks for human rights defenders in the context of political deadlock and pre-electoral period", during a press conference held on Thursday, in Harare, leader of the study delegation, former Judge of the High Court of Swaziland and Director of the African Regional Programme of the International Commission of Jurists, Justice Thomas Masuku, said there was need to revisit the offensive laws.
"In particular, there is need to review the POSA (Public Order and Security Act), the AIPPA (Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act) and the Criminal Law (Law Reform and Codification) Act and bring them into conformity with international and regional human rights standards," said Masuku.
POSA has been used by the police to systematically suppress freedom of assembly and association especially pertaining to political parties and civil society organisations, while AIPPA, a law that regulates media practice, has been criticised for muzzling journalists.
"The government of Zimbabwe has taken no meaningful action to address the abuses or violations pointed out in the reports of regional and international bodies," added Masuku.
He said that the political discord in the Government of National Unity set up in 2009 hinders the implementation of reforms and the establishment of a favourable environment for free and fair elections and warned that human rights abuses would increase ahead of elections set for next year.
"It is unlikely that any meaningful and genuine reforms could emerge from the political stalemate and that in the run-up to the new elections called by Zanu (PF), there are strong reasons to believe that the environment in which human rights defenders operate under is alarming and would further deteriorate," he said.
Masuku said they noted that most perpetrators of human rights violations against human rights defenders have not been charged and remain free.
"The authorities have also ignored and abused with impunity several court orders and judgments issued by the judiciary in favour of petitioners regarding a number of human rights practices and abuses carried out by the government.
"A climate of impunity still prevails within the society and civil servants associated with Zanu (PF) still operate with a sense of impunity," he said.
The study was jointly sponsored by the International Federation for Human Rights and World Organisation against Torture in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association.
The delegation also included Vice President of FIDH and lawyer Arnold Tsunga and Berita Kopolo, an academic attached to the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria in South Africa.
The delegation was accompanied by National Director of Zimrights, Okay Machisa.
Meanwhile, Machisa announced, Zimrights would today, in commemoration of International Human Rights Day held annually on 10 December honour outstanding human rights defenders drawn from the all the provinces.
These are Harare, Bulawayo, Masvingo, Chitungwiza, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Midlands and Manicaland.
In addition, a female Human Rights Defender of the Year, an overall National Human Rights Defender of the Year and a Human Rights Journalists of the Year will be bestowed with honours at the awards ceremony to be held at the Harare Gardens today.
Post published in: News