NOV 11: Beatrice Mtetwa and the Rule of Law
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Zimbabweans participated in presidential and parliamentary elections in July 2013. Robert Mugabe was re-elected president for a five year term, and his party, ZANU-PF, regained majority control of Parliament. Amnesty International did not observe human rights violations or violence on polling day, but noted several incidents following the elections tied to activists refusing to reveal their vote.
Amnesty International observed high levels of repression prior to the elections. Since September 2012, nearly every single civil society organization of note in Zimbabwe working on civil, political and human rights issues had their offices raided, or leadership arrested, or both. GALZ (Gay and Lesbian Zimbabwe) faced particular scrutiny and continues to be harassed by police. WOZA (Women of Zimbabwe Arise), a human and civil rights organization dedicated to empowering and educating Zimbabweans to participate in the political process, experienced several incidents of arrest and violence at the hands of the security sector. The most recent incident occurred in February 2014 during their annual Valentine's Day peaceful protest when several activists faced abuse by riot police.
Amnesty International continues to monitor incidents of forced eviction in Zimbabwe, as well as the human rights violations occurring as a result of these displacements. In one informal settlement outside the capital Harare, Amnesty International documented the deaths of infants due to inadequate warmth and sanitation facilities. This needless loss of life caused by poor government policies must be addressed immediately by the government. Additionally, a recent report documented an estimated 220,000 children experienced a disruption to their education as a result of 2005's Operation Murambatsvina, when the Zimbabwe government displaced 700,000 people.
Zimbabwe’s election at the end of the month will take place in the context of decades of politically motivated gross human rights violations, including mass killings, the forced disappearance of …
International protection of human rights is in danger of unravelling as short-term national self-interest and draconian security crackdowns have led to a wholesale assault on basic freedoms and rights, warned Amnesty International as it launched its annual assessment of human rights around the world. “Your rights are in jeopardy: they are being treated with utter contempt by many governments around the world,” said Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International.
The Zimbabwean government’s continuing stranglehold on community radio and its refusal to issue licenses to all but commercial operators with links to state-owned companies or those with government ties is a ploy to stifle freedom of expression, said Amnesty International in a new report published today.
This has been a devastating year for those seeking to stand up for human rights and for those caught up in the suffering of war zones. Governments pay lip service to the importance of protecting civilians. And yet the world's politicians have miserably failed to protect those in greatest need. Amnesty International believes that this can and must finally change.
This report provides an analysis of the legal environment and wider context of human rights violations against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals in sub-Saharan Africa. Recent years have seen increasing reports of people being harassed, marginalized, discriminated against and attacked because of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
Republic of Zimbabwe Head of state and government Robert Mugabe Mistrust between members of the Government of National Unity (GNU) continued to delay crucial reforms agreed under the 2008 Global …
Forced evictions drive poor people deeper into poverty and leave them more vulnerable to other human rights violations. This report looks at the long-term impact on the right to education since the Zimbabwean government's programme of mass forced evictions, known as Operation Murambatsvina, took place in 2005. The report focuses on the situation of children and young people living in Hatcliffe Extension and Hopley, two settlements in Harare. More than six years since the mass forced evictions, children in the two settlements continue to face immense barriers in obtaining basic education.
Head of state and government: Robert Mugabe Death penalty: retentionist Population: 12.6 million Life expectancy: 47 years Under-5 mortality (m/f): 100/88 per 1,000 Adult literacy: 91.4 per cent Police continued …
In June 2010, Amnesty International found that pregnant women and girls at Hopley settlement, in Harare, are at risk of ill-health and even death due to inadequate access to essential health services.
Amnesty International has documented unlawful killings, torture and other ill-treatment of human rights defenders in Zimbabwe following elections on March 29, 2008.