Africa: Zimbabwe and the African Union Summit
"As you may know Progressio (formerly the Catholic Institute for International Relations) has been involved in solidarity work with the peoples of Southern Africa for a considerable period of time. With our southern African partners and Northern partners in the CIDSE group of Catholic agencies we wish to draw your attention to significant events regarding Zimbabwe.
On December 5th 2005, the African Commission for Human and People's Rights (ACHPR) adopted a resolution condemning the human rights situation in Zimbabwe, and calling on the government of Zimbabwe to act urgently to improve the situation. The resolution calls on the Zimbabwean government to implement the recommendations of the previous ACHPR fact-finding mission, as well as those of the July 2005 report of the UN Special Envoy on Human Settlement Issues. It further calls on the government to cooperate with the African Commission Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Internally Displaced Persons, including allowing a fact-finding mission to investigate the situation of internally displaced persons in Zimbabwe. It highlights the failure of the government to uphold the principle of separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary. We therefore urge all members of the African Union to ensure that the annual report of the ACHPR is adopted at the African Union Summit in Khartoum on the 23rd and 24th of January this year."
H.E. Ms. Lindiwe Mabuza
High Commissioner of the Republic of South Africa
South Africa House
Trafalgar Square
London WC2N 5D
16th January 2006
Subject: Zimbabwe and the African Union Summit
Dear Excellency,
As you may know Progressio (formerly the Catholic Institute for International Relations) has been involved in solidarity work with the peoples of Southern Africa for a considerable period of time. With our southern African partners and Northern partners in the CIDSE group of Catholic agencies we wish to draw your attention to significant events regarding Zimbabwe.
On December 5th 2005, the African Commission for Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) adopted a resolution condemning the human rights situation in Zimbabwe, and calling on the government of Zimbabwe to act urgently to improve the situation. The resolution calls on the Zimbabwean government to implement the recommendations of the previous ACHPR fact-finding mission, as well as those of the July 2005 report of the UN Special Envoy on Human Settlement Issues. It further calls on the government to cooperate with the African Commission Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Internally Displaced Persons, including allowing a fact-finding mission to investigate the situation of internally displaced persons in Zimbabwe. It highlights the failure of the government to uphold the principle of separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary. We therefore urge all members of the African Union to ensure that the annual report of the ACHPR is adopted at the African Union Summit in Khartoum on the 23rd and 24th of January this year.
The body of evidence gathered by Zimbabweans, calling for action to be taken at an international level, is significant and growing. An audit compiled by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum highlights the fact that the recommendations contained in the previous report of the ACHPR and adopted by the AU in January 2005 have not been implemented to date by the government. Reports written by the Solidarity Peace Trust (a South African civil society organisation concerned with Zimbabwe), Action Aid Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Peace Project all point to a wealth of qualitative evidence that life for ordinary Zimbabweans is becoming more difficult as a result of the policies criticised in the ACHPR’s resolution. It is clear that the resolution is an expression of the will of the majority of Zimbabwean people.
At the December 2005 session of the ACHPR, four cases taken by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) against the Republic of Zimbabwe were declared admissible, implying that there was no possibility of domestic remedy for abuses committed. Say ZLHR: “With these findings…it has now [been] established empirically through a very critical African organ that the judiciary in Zimbabwe is seriously compromised and is no longer the guarantor and protector of fundamental human rights and freedoms.”
The ACHPR resolution is a response to representations from Zimbabwean and international civil society, as well as numerous fact-finding missions by members of the international community. It comes in the wake of the January 2005 adoption of a report by the African Union following a fact-finding mission carried out in 2002.
The forthcoming AU summit is an opportunity for African leaders to give a voice to the people acting within and outside Zimbabwe to improve the conditions in that country. The resolution makes a series of recommendations which could put Zimbabwe on the path to recovery from its current position of social and political polarisation.
In adopting the Commission’s resolution, the Assembly of the Heads of State of the African Union will make a positive impact on the individuals affected by well-documented abuses. African pressure on Zimbabwe to comply with the recommendations of African institutions promises to make a strong positive difference in the lives of the millions of Zimbabweans both in that country and in exile. We and our partners look forward to the taking of positive steps to return Zimbabwe to normality, for the good of its citizens, and its neighbours.
Yours Sincerely,
___________________
David Bedford
Acting Director