The petition has been signed by many thousands of people who have passed by the Vigil held outside the Zimbabwe Embassy in London every Saturday. The petition reads:
A petition to the European Union: Millions of Zimbabweans have been forced into exile by the brutality, incompetence and corruption of the Zanu PF regime of Robert Mugabe. Despite the absence of any reforms, including the holding of free and fair elections, the EU is moving to normalise relations with the illegitimate Zimbabwean regime, promising hundreds of millions of dollars in aid direct to Mugabe’s party. We urge the EU to insist that the diaspora is guaranteed the vote in future elections, as ordered by the African Union, before re-engagement goes any further.
The EU’s sanctions were imposed 12 years ago because of the breakdown of the rule of law in Zimbabwe, human rights abuses and the rigging of elections.
Fungayi Mabhunu, a spokesman for the Vigil, said: ‘We are protesting at the EU’s spineless capitulation to Mugabe even though he has made no reforms whatsoever. All the conditions which led to the imposition of sanctions are still in place: there is no rule of law, human rights continue to be abused and all elections are rigged. Now we get EU people such as the new EU Ambassador going to Harare and saying how intelligent and sharp Mugabe is. The Ambassador said he ‘had a lovely chat with Mugabe’. It is sickening. Mugabe has turned the country into a death camp.’
The Vigil notes that only this week a peaceful demonstrator Itai Dzamara was viciously attacked by police for exercising his constitutional right to protest in Harare’s Unity Square (see: Police savagely beat protester Itai Dzamara –http://nehandaradio.com/2014/11/07/police-savagely-beat-protester-itai-dzamara/). We have been contacted by supporters of Mr Dzamara in the UK who are planning to join us next week to protest at the assault.
In another incident, which no doubt the EU’s lovely Ambassador will ignore, riot police randomly beat up people in Marondera. One of the victims was a two-year-old child out shopping with her father. The attack came amid tensions in the town following the murder by police of a combi driver Mugove Manonge for his failure to pay a $10 bribe (see: Cops attack citizens in Marondera – https://www.thezimbabwean.co/news/zimbabwe-news/73955/cops-attack-citizens-in-marondera.html). Vigil supporters led by Martin Chinyanga laid flowers on the doorstep of the Embassy today to mourn his death.
Post published in: World News
By lifting the sanctions the EU gave in on their demand for Mugabe to hold free, fair and credible elections which they made when the imposed the sanctions back in 2002. The EU has condemn Zimbabwe’s last year elections, which is why the Union did not lift the sanctions until now although it said it would do so if elections are free and fair. So lifting the sanctions now means the EU has given up on free and fair elections and thus condemning the Zimbabweans people to tyranny!
This Zimvigil petition has the whole hearted support of every thinking Zimbabwean who cares and understands the importance of good governance!