Southern African leaders are under mounting pressure from pro-democracy groups to take action against alleged repression in Zimbabwe ahead of a regional summit in Mauritius next week, reports IRIN.
As Zimbabwean NGOs finalise plans to possibly make a submission to Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders in Mauritius, the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference this week called on the region to “take stronger action, including the consideration of targeted sanctions, to prevent further suffering” in Zimbabwe.
– The Zimbabwean situation of starvation and malnutrition, wilful political violence and intimidation, and the immoral use of food aid by the Zimbabwean government demands stronger and transparent intervention by African governments through the AU (African Union), the bishops said in a statement.
– With more than three million people displaced as a result of the crisis in Zimbabwe, a generation of exiles and refugees has been created. This situation cannot be allowed to continue – the government of Zimbabwe must care for its own people, they added.
The bishops stated that “strong measures must be taken by the international community to ensure a meaningful and honest election in Zimbabwe in 2005, especially through sustained independent international and regional monitoring of the pre-election process as a prerequisite for validating the election itself”.
Rights group Amnesty International (AI) said its members in Southern Africa had written to their countrys leaders, “calling on them to publicly and jointly condemn the government of Zimbabwe for its violation of human rights”.
– The letters denounce a series of grave human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, including:
– repressive laws that are used to criminalise peaceful gatherings, as well as shut down independent media outlets and NGOs;
– government moves to end international food aid distribution, despite independent warnings that millions of Zimbabweans will need food aid in the coming year;
– systematic government attacks on the independence of judges and lawyers;
– and failure to investigate widespread allegations of torture and ill-treatment, including rape, committed by security forces and “youth militia”, AI said in a statement on Thursday.
– Evidence suggests that an escalation in repression in Zimbabwe is already underway, ahead of parliamentary elections. We are urging SADC leaders to use this summit to demonstrate their commitment to protect human rights and to hold governments accountable in the SADC region, AI said.
Zimbabwes Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) Bill, if passed by parliament, will cut off donor funding to local civil society groups involved in governance and human rights issues and give government greater control over their operations.
At the opening of parliament on 20 July, President Robert Mugabe confirmed that a new bill governing the operation of NGOs would be introduced to replace the Private Voluntary Organisations Act. Mugabe said that “NGOs must work for the betterment of our country and not against it”.
– We cannot allow them to be conduits or instruments of foreign interference in our national affairs, Mugabe reportedly said, adding that the new bill would “ensure the rationalisation of the macro-management of all NGOs”.
Kilde: FN-bureauet IRINnews
