The embassy, in a statement released on Monday, urged the Government of Zimbabwe to speedily investigate the matter.
Unknown assailants reportedly petrol-bombed the Maisiri home at the weekend, resulting in Christopher’s death.
The late child’s father was an MDC-T official in the party’s Manicaland province structures who has survived several political violence assaults in the last 10 years.
“This tragic death (Christopher’s) presents an opportunity to the Government of Zimbabwe and the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee…which are responsible in part for creating and promoting an atmosphere of mutual trust and understanding between the political parties, to demonstrate their commitment to justice by swiftly and professionally investigating the circumstances that led to the death of this child,” the embassy said in a statement.
Jomic was created by the 2008 inter-party Global Political Agreement to monitor and promote political and social healing after close to a decade of acute tension and civil strife.
Added the embassy: “We call on the Zimbabwe Republic Police to conduct a thorough investigation of this case and, it if is determined to be arson, to hold all responsible for this atrocity to account. As Zimbabwe brings its Global Political Agreement to an end, non-partisan, efficient, and professional law enforcement is critical to gaining the confidence of the Zimbabwean people, neighboring countries, and the international community.”
The embassy called for the “respect for the rule of law and apolitical policing are also essential for creating the conditions for credible and non-violent Zimbabwean elections later this year”.
Innocent Matibiri, the Deputy Commissioner General in charge of operations in the Zimbabwe Republic Police on Monday invited the ire of parliamentarians when, presenting oral evidence before the parliamentary committee on defence and security, he professed ignorance over the arson in Headlands.
The MPs accused the police of turning a blind eye on perpetrators of political violence in the past who are linked to the Central Intelligence Organisation and Zanu (PF).
In 2008, according to the MDC, more than 400 people were murdered in gruesome circumstances while thousands were maimed, displaced or raped in the run-up to and during a presidential re-run which President Robert Mugabe won when his bitter rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, withdrew, citing widespread violence.
Most of the perpetrators have not been prosecuted, while dozens of opposition supporters have been arrested and brought before the courts in what observers say are trumped up charges, in a pattern that critics say betrays police and the judiciary’s bias.
Post published in: News