“SADC leaders should press Zimbabwe’s unity government for needed reforms before holding elections,” said Tiseke Kasambala, Southern Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “SADC should immediately send enough long-term election observers to promote a human rights environment conducive to credible, free and fair elections.”
Reform of the state security forces is crucial for acceptable elections, Human Rights Watch said. The security forces have long interfered in Zimbabwe’s political and electoral affairs. Changes are also needed in the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, whose secretariat staff has been dominated by state intelligence and military officials.
In addition, there has been little progress in updating and cleaning up the country’s outdated voters’ roll, which has a significant number of “ghost” voters.
The unity government has also not undertaken crucial legislative reforms, including the repeal or amendment of laws that inhibit basic freedoms such as the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA). Further reforms are also needed to the highly partisan state-controlled print and electronic media to ensure that they become genuinely public, to guarantee equal and fair coverage to all political parties.
For more Human Rights Watch reporting on Zimbabwe, please visit: http://www.hrw.org/africa/zimbabwe
For more information, please contact:
In Johannesburg, Tiseke Kasambala (English): +27-11-062-2852; or +27-79-220-5254 (mobile); orkasambt@hrw.org
In London, Dewa Mavhinga (English, Shona): + 44-7787-587550 (mobile); or mavhind@hrw.org
Post published in: News
zanupf’s large entourage and factions today dragged their 90 year old commender-in-thief to Maputo on the pretext of only seeking financial help from the region to fund polls on “31 July”. It was a trap by the zanupf factions led by Charambamanheru to embarass their demented leader in from of all the young SADC leaders. What a disgrace for the old man to head back home with his long tail firmly tucked between his weak legs, and we wonder why…..
Vanhu Havachada zanupf!!