The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Zimbabwe.
Brief description of the situation:
According to the information received, on December 3, 2008, the ZCTU organised peaceful marches to protest against the financial crisis in Zimbabwe by delivering petitions to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Governor and offices. Mr. Wellington Chibebe and ZCTU President Lovemore Matombo managed to hand the ZCTU petition to the RBZ Governor. Soon after handing it over, Mr. Chibebe proceeded to address workers but was arrested together with nine other people including Messrs. Tonderai Nyahunzvi, Canwell Muchadya, Hillarious Ruyi, Cde Tarumbira and Joseph Chuma.
In Harare, the police heavily assaulted ten more people. These included Ms. Getrude Hambira, General Secretary of the General Agricultural and Plantation Workers’ Union, Ms. Angeline Chitambo, President of the Zimbabwe Energy Workers’ Union, Ms. Tecla Masamba, member of the Communications and Allied Workers’ Union of Zimbabwe), Ms. Martha Kajama, member of the National Engineering Workers’ Union of Zimbabwe, and Ms. Mirriam Katumba, Vice Chair of the Women’s Advisory Council. Messrs. Japhet Moyo, ZCTU Deputy Secretary General, Ben Madzimure, Editor of The Worker newspaper for the ZCTU, Fungayi Kanyongo, intern at The Worker, Raymond Majongwe, General Secretary of the Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), James Gumbi, General Secretary of the Zimbabwe Rural District Council Workers’ Union, and Osward Madziwa, a PTUZ member, were also arrested in Harare.
Mr. Gideon Shoko, General Secretary of the Zimbabwe Amalgamated Railway Workers Union as well as ZCTU Deputy Secretary General, was also arrested in Harare. He is held in Harare Central Police Station, reportedly along many others, maybe some of those mentioned above.
In Gweru, more than 25 people have been arrested. Amongst those arrested are the ZCTU Central Regional Chair Charles Chikozho, ZCTU Central Regional Secretary Isaac Thebethebe, Moses Mhaka and Wilbert Muringani both PTUZ members, and Benard Sibanda.
In Zvishavane town, six people were arrested at the Barclays Bank. The six are Mesrs. Elinas Gumbo, Ndodana Sithole, Nicholas Zengeya, Isaac Matsikidze, Sarudzai Chimwanda and David Moyo. They are being held at Zvishavane police station.
In Bulawayo, PTUZ Matabeleland Coordinator Enoch Paradzai has been picked by the Central Intelligence Operatives and is being held at Magnet House on the fourth floor. Mr. Kenneth Nemachena, Area Organising Secretary of the Zimbabwe Amalgamated Railway Workers Union, and reportedly many others are also detained at Bulawayo Central Police Station.
In most parts of the country, workers managed nonetheless to hand in petitions to the RBZ offices.
The Observatory is extremely concerned at the large number of arrests of peaceful protestors, which is representative of the extreme pressure of the Zimbabwean authorities in a context of dire economic hardship, food shortages and evolving humanitarian and sanitary crisis.
The Observatory recalls that according to Article 1 of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998, "everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels", and that Article 6(c) of the Declaration provides that "everyone has the right, individually and in association with others [...] to study, discuss, form and hold opinions on the observance, both in law and in practice, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and, through these and other appropriate means, to draw public attention to those matters".
Actions required:
Please write to the authorities of Zimbabwe urging them to:
i. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of all above-mentioned persons as well as of all human rights defenders in Zimbabwe;
ii. Release immediately and unconditionally all above-mentioned persons since their detention is arbitrary as it merely aims at sanctioning their human rights activities;
iii. Order a thorough and impartial investigation into the above-mentioned allegations of ill-treatments in order to identify all those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
iv. Put an end to all kinds of harassment, including at the judicial level, against all human rights defenders in Zimbabwe;
v. Conform with the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998, especially its above-mentioned Article 1 and Article 6(c) as well as Article 12.2, which provides that "the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the [...] Declaration";
vi. Ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards and international instruments ratified by Zimbabwe.
Addresses:
· President of Zimbabwe, Mr. Robert G. Mugabe, Office of the President, Private Bag 7700, Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe, Fax : +263 4 708 211 / + 263.4.70.38.58
· Mr. Khembo Mohadi, Minister of Home Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, 11th Floor Mukwati Building, Private Bag 7703, Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe, Fax : +263 4 726 716
· Mr. Patrick Chinamasa, Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Fax: + 263 4 77 29 99 / +263 4 252 155
· Mr. Augustine Chihuri, Commissioner General, Police Headquarters, P.O. Box 8807, Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe, Fax : +263 4 253 212 / 728 768 / 726 084
· Mr. Justice Bharat Patel, Attorney-General, Office of the Attorney, PO Box 7714, Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe, Fax: + 263 4 77 32 47
· Mrs. Chanetsa, Office of the Ombudsman Fax: + 263 4 70 41 19
· Ambassador Mr. Chitsaka Chipaziwa, Permanent Mission of Zimbabwe to the United Nations in Geneva, Chemin William Barbey 27, 1292 Chambésy, Switzerland, Fax: + 41 22 758 30 44, Email: mission.zimbabwe@ties.itu.net
· Ambassador Mr. Pununjwe, Embassy of Zimbabwe in Brussels, 11 SQ Josephine Charlotte, 1200 Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Belgium, Fax: + 32 2 762 96 05 / + 32 2 775 65 10, Email: zimbrussels@skynet.be.
Please also write to the embassies of Zimbabwe in your respective country.
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Geneva - Paris, December 3, 2008
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory, a FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.
The Observatory was the winner of the 1998 Human Rights Prize of the French Republic.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
Email : Appeals@fidh-omct.org
Tel et fax FIDH : + 33 1 43 55 55 05 / 33 1 43 55 18 80
Tel et fax OMCT : +41 22 809 49 39 / 41 22 809 49 29