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Zimbabwe: Leger achter nieuwe golf van rechten van de mensmisbruiken
Woensdag, 30 April, 2008
Het Horloge van Rechten van de mens nodigde de Afrikaanse Unie en de Veiligheidsraad van de V.N. uit In de crisis tussenbeide komen om Zimbabweans op stijgend risico van geweld te beschermen. Zij zouden de overheid openbaar en persoonlijk moeten drukken om het geweld tegen te houden, actie te voeren tegen verantwoordelijk die, en maatregelen te treffen om ervoor te zorgen dat de politie en het leger onpartijdig blijven en handelen om alle Zimbabweans te beschermen. Zij zouden de overheid ook moeten aansporen om internationale rechten van de mensmonitors en de media bevrijde toegang tot het land toe te laten. In de nasleep van algemene verkiezingen die op 29 plaatsvonden Maart, 2008, heeft het Horloge van Rechten van de mens ernstige misbruiken op het worst-affected gebied van Zimbabwe - hoofdHarare, en de provincies van het Oosten Mashonaland, het Westen gedocumenteerd, en Centraal, Manicaland, en Masvingo. De leden en de verdedigers van de Patriotic Voorzijde van de Unie van Zimbabwe Afrikaanse Nationale (zanu-PF) hebben, het leger, de politie, en `de oorlogsveteranen' een brutale campagne van marteling en intimidatie tegen waargenomen iedereen ondersteunend MDC georganiseerd en uitgevoerd. Volgens scores van slachtoffers en ooggetuigen die door het Horloge van Rechten van de mens worden geïnterviewdt, stellen de verdedigers zanu-PF en `de oorlogsveteranen' lijsten van activisten MDC op die dan systematisch voor misbruik worden gericht. Deze bondgenoten zanu-PF dwingen ook mensen om vergaderingen bij te wonen om trouw aan zanu-PF te zweren en die aan de kaak te stellen die verdedigers MDC blijven. Bijvoorbeeld, wijzen de onderzoeken van het Horloge van Rechten van de mens in provincie Manicaland erop dat de verdedigers zanu-PF met het leger in het loslaten van een campagne van verschrikking en geweld tegen leden MDC en verdedigers samenwerken. Eyewitnesses told Human Rights Watch that ‘war veterans’ have set up camp at an army base called ‘Three Brigade,’ which is the official military barracks in Manicaland. Sources told Human Right Watch that the army had given the ‘war veterans’ guns and army trucks to carry out raids on the homes of known MDC supporters and members. Military officers are also directly involved in these raids. On April 23, in Manicaland, a group of ‘war veterans’ and ZANU-PF supporters fired at a group of 22 MDC activists who had enquired about the whereabouts of 12 MDC supporters. Earlier the ‘war veterans’ had abducted the 12 MDC supporters and taken them to Chiwetu Rest Camp – an informal torture center set up by the ‘war veterans’ and ZANU-PF youth in Makoni West, Manicaland province. When the MDC activists arrived at the camp they found up to 50 ‘war veterans’ and ZANU-PF supporters – 12 of whom were armed. The ‘war veterans’ ordered the activists to sit on the ground and then fired shots into the air. As the MDC activists tried to flee, the war veterans fired another round of shots, this time at the group, hitting three of them. One activist, Tabeth Marume, was shot in the stomach and died of her wounds on the way to the hospital. Two other activists were also injured during the incident. One of the victims of the shooting told Human Rights Watch that the man who fired the shot that killed Tabeth Marume was a known ‘war veteran.’ When the victims informed the local police about the incident, the police refused to take action, claiming that such an incident could not have happened since they had no knowledge of any civilians in the area who were allowed to keep firearms. The current whereabouts of the 12 abducted MDC supporters are not known. The activists who went to the camp told Human Rights Watch that they saw their colleagues at the camp with their hands tied behind their backs, lying on their stomachs. They said the 12 activists were badly bruised and injured. The activists also reported to Human Rights Watch that they later saw the ‘war veterans’ bundle their colleagues into pickup trucks and drive off. The lack of arrests and investigations into this and other incidents of organized political violence carried out by ZANU-PF and its allies contrasts starkly with the arrest of 215 people last Friday accused of committing reprisal attacks against ZANU-PF, Human Rights Watch said. Human Rights Watch expressed concern that those arrests were politically motivated (http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/04/25/zimbab18653.htm). ‘With increasing incidents of politically motivated, state-sponsored violence in Zimbabwe it is essential the African Union and the UN Security Council work together to press for the protection of civilians,’ said Gagnon. ‘Getting international human rights monitors and the media on the ground provides Zimbabweans some protection in the face of the escalating crackdown by the army and police.’ © Copyright, Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA See More:World NewsHave Your Say: Zimbabwe: Army behind new wave of human rights abuses Please note, only selected comments will be published. Or discuss this report in our our new forums This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 30th, 2008 at 8:50 am and is filed under Surveillance, Civil Liberties & Human Rights News, General . 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