Zimbabwe
04.01.02
Urgent Interventions
Zimbabwe: open letter to Mr. Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe
Paris-Geneva, 2 January 2002
OPEN LETTER
TO MR. ROBERT MUGABE, PRESIDENT OF ZIMBABWE
Excellency,
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), is deeply concerned by an attack on Mr. Johannes Mudzingwa, a member of ZimRights. Mr. Mudzingwa is involved in civic education programmes and assists villagers in their community.
Mr Mudzingwa was assaulted in Gokwe North on 13 December 2001 by young ZANU PF party members and war vetereans, a few days after his return from a stay in Kwe Kwe. His house was besieged by a group of young people and two of them, Godfrey Chifamba and Douglas Chisango, both from the Tendo area, asked Mr. Mudzingwa where he had been in November. When he replied that he had been in Kwe Kwe, they told him - as Kwe Kwe is known as a stronghold of the Movement for Democratic Change (opposition party - that he had to show his MDC membership card. Mr Mudzingwa replied that he was not a member of this party nor any other party but only a human rigths activist. Then they took him to the bush near an area known as Farai Mongondo. Once there, some of them stayed to guard him while the others went to alert the surrounding villages in order to attract more Zanu PF members and war veterans. Several came and questionned Mr. Mudzingwa again, accusing him of supporting the opposition. The local Secretary of Zanu PF - a war veteran - told the youngsters to "deal" with him and some twenty of them took turns in beating him with their fists, feet, chains, logs and other weapons. This went on for four hours and as a result Mr Mudzingwa was severely wounded. After having been forced to sign a document and having paid a "protection fee" of Z$1 500,00 to a certain Michael Muchofiya, Mr Mudzingwa and his family fled by bus to Kwe Kwe, where the Midlands Office of ZimRights took care of him. This organisation then went to Gokwe North and found that the said events had been reported to the police and that a statement had been registered but that no investigation had been undertaken.
The Observatory is extremely concerned by this agression which seems to be part of an ever hardening attitude towards all expressions of dissent.
The Observatory urges the highest authority, to:
- Take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Mudzingwa,
- Order an immediate investigation into this assault in order to identify those responsible and bring them to trial,
- Take all necessary measures to stop any kind of harassment against human rights defenders, and
ensure the full implementation of the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the UN General Assembly on 9th December 1998, in particular its article 1 which states that "everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels".
In the hope that you will take these requests into consideration, we remain respectfully yours,
Sidiki KABA Eric SOTTAS
President of FIDH Director of OMCT
OPEN LETTER
TO MR. ROBERT MUGABE, PRESIDENT OF ZIMBABWE
Excellency,
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), is deeply concerned by an attack on Mr. Johannes Mudzingwa, a member of ZimRights. Mr. Mudzingwa is involved in civic education programmes and assists villagers in their community.
Mr Mudzingwa was assaulted in Gokwe North on 13 December 2001 by young ZANU PF party members and war vetereans, a few days after his return from a stay in Kwe Kwe. His house was besieged by a group of young people and two of them, Godfrey Chifamba and Douglas Chisango, both from the Tendo area, asked Mr. Mudzingwa where he had been in November. When he replied that he had been in Kwe Kwe, they told him - as Kwe Kwe is known as a stronghold of the Movement for Democratic Change (opposition party - that he had to show his MDC membership card. Mr Mudzingwa replied that he was not a member of this party nor any other party but only a human rigths activist. Then they took him to the bush near an area known as Farai Mongondo. Once there, some of them stayed to guard him while the others went to alert the surrounding villages in order to attract more Zanu PF members and war veterans. Several came and questionned Mr. Mudzingwa again, accusing him of supporting the opposition. The local Secretary of Zanu PF - a war veteran - told the youngsters to "deal" with him and some twenty of them took turns in beating him with their fists, feet, chains, logs and other weapons. This went on for four hours and as a result Mr Mudzingwa was severely wounded. After having been forced to sign a document and having paid a "protection fee" of Z$1 500,00 to a certain Michael Muchofiya, Mr Mudzingwa and his family fled by bus to Kwe Kwe, where the Midlands Office of ZimRights took care of him. This organisation then went to Gokwe North and found that the said events had been reported to the police and that a statement had been registered but that no investigation had been undertaken.
The Observatory is extremely concerned by this agression which seems to be part of an ever hardening attitude towards all expressions of dissent.
The Observatory urges the highest authority, to:
- Take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Mudzingwa,
- Order an immediate investigation into this assault in order to identify those responsible and bring them to trial,
- Take all necessary measures to stop any kind of harassment against human rights defenders, and
ensure the full implementation of the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the UN General Assembly on 9th December 1998, in particular its article 1 which states that "everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels".
In the hope that you will take these requests into consideration, we remain respectfully yours,
Sidiki KABA Eric SOTTAS
President of FIDH Director of OMCT