Later in the day yesterday, two police details visited the Hwange offices of a ZESN member organisation, Legal Resources Foundation (LRF) offices and arbitrarily confiscated hundreds of ZESN posters and flyers meant for distribution in the province. The materials were confiscated following unsubstantiated and false allegations that ZESN had conducted voter education from the 13th to the 17th of May 2013 without the approval and accreditation from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
The materials that were confiscated include posters and flyers meant to encourage Zimbabweans to register to vote in the impending harmonised elections.
According to Mr Settie Ncube, the ZESN taskforce Chairperson for Matabeleland North, the two police officers who were in plain clothes demanded to know the persons responsible for distributing the materials before confiscating the posters and flyers. The police officers did not have a search warrant.
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) have deployed lawyers to handle the case. Meanwhile, ZESN representatives will travel to Hwange in the company of the ZLHR lawyers. ZESN is denying and will vigorously defend the charges in their totality.
ZESN reiterates that the continued arrest and criminalization of civic society organisations for allegedly conducting “voter education” without seeking permission from ZEC is disturbing. The heavy-handed actions of the law enforcement authorities are a contravention of the Constitution of Zimbabwe as they arbitrarily impede on fundamental rights and freedoms of access to information, assembly and information, amongst others. The attempts to stem civic education by labelling it “voter education” is disingenuous and is testimony to the need for ZEC and other policy makers to clarify the distinction between voter information, voter education, and civic education, as such actions have the potential to irreparably harm the positive work of ZEC and provide a basis for claims that the environment is not suitable for the holding of a credible election.
ZESN will provide further details as the case unfolds.
Post published in: News