Zimbabwe: SADC leaders should place Zimbabwe on the agenda of their Summit

On the eve of the annual Summit of the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) in Tanzania, Amnesty International is calling on SADC
leaders to jointly and publicly express their concern regarding Zimbabwe's
deepening human rights crisis.

"We acknowledge and commend the on-going efforts of some African leaders
in promoting human rights on the continent. However, the situation in
Zimbabwe has yet to be adequately addressed. While the July Summit of the
African Union was an important occasion at which to discuss the
deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe, regrettably, African leaders failed
to put Zimbabwe on the agenda. This was a missed opportunity to
constructively raise human rights concerns with the Government of
Zimbabwe," Amnesty International said.

Amnesty International has been closely monitoring the human rights
situation in Zimbabwe. State-sponsored harassment, attacks and torture
directed at the opposition, civil society and independent media workers
continue unabated.

For example, following a mass national strike in June 2003, approximately
800 supporters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) were
arrested, two people reportedly died and approximately 150 people were
injured in attacks by supporters of the ruling Zimbabwe African National
Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), members of the Zimbabwe National Army
and the police. MDC member Tichaona Kaguru was brutally attacked by police
and army officers with whips, rubber batons and sticks and subsequently
died from his injuries on the second day of the strike.

"Tichaona Kaguru's case illustrates the widespread human rights violations
taking place in Zimbabwe and the extent to which the government will go to
bludgeon dissent," the organization said.

"SADC leaders and Zimbabwe's neighbours have a critical role to play in
demonstrating their commitment to the respect for human rights in Southern
Africa. They should include Zimbabwe as a specific point on the agenda of
the SADC Summit and to bring all possible pressure to bear on the
Government of Zimbabwe to respect and protect the fundamental human rights
of its citizens," Amnesty International urged.

Background

More recently, President Mugabe announced at the opening of the fourth
session of Parliament in July 2003 that the government would introduce new
legislation governing the operations of Non-Governmental Organizations
(NGOs). Amnesty International is concerned that as with legislation
introduced in the past two years, the government will use this new NGO
Bill to silence dissent and further restrict the right to freedom of
association.

In May, 2003 Amnesty International published a report entitled Zimbabwe:
Rights under siege (AI Index: AFR 46/012/2003) which examined how the
Zimbabwean authorities, in particular, members of the police force are
using legislation such as the Public Order and Security Act, to severely
restrict the rights of all Zimbabweans to freedom of expression, assembly
and association.

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