By Evans Muranganwa.
Harare, Zimbabwe. (News Of The South) – A human rights NGO here (Harare) have condemned the recent abduction and torture of a high profile activist Partson Dzamara last week.
In a statement recently, the organization has said hardly before the ink on the recommendations made by the recent United Nation’s Human Rights Council’s Periodic Review of November 2016 had dried, Zimbabwe
reverted back to the poor and alarming human rights practices.
It went on to say that “ as long as there is no investigation done into the rampant acts of abductions and torture of well-known human rights activists, there can be no doubt that Zimbabwe’s commitment to
human rights remains questionable, in doubt and greatly at stake as
well as in need of rectification.”
In clear violation of constitutional rights last Friday, the police arrested Advocate Fadzai Mahere, Mudiwa Mahere, Pastor Phillip Mugadza, Henry Munangatire, Barry Rowlings, Sean Mullens, Talent
Chademana, Thobekile Ncube, and Nyasha Mushandu at Africa Unity Square in a bid to quell a citizen protest against the introduction of an unpopular surrogate currency.
The human rights organization said it was clear that Zimbabwe’s human rights violations are not stopping, but continuing in clear disregard of the concerns of the country’s peers in the United Nations community.
Equally in jeopardy of being continually devalued, negated and belittled by these human rights abuses are the values emanating from the will of the people enshrined in the country’s democratic
constitution.
Zimbabwe’s human rights record regarding torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and enforced disappearances as well as non-ratification of treaties, regarding eradication of the same
malpractices remains worrisome, states Zimrights.
ZimRights called upon the government and non-state actors sympathetic to the ruling party to stop victimisation of human rights defenders, not to interfere with freedoms of assembly and expression, respect the Constitution, to uphold the rule of law and honour all the country’s
human rights commitments.
The civic organization joins other civic groups like the Zimbabwe Peace Project and even the EU who have condemned the barbaric acts.
On Friday, 18 November 2016, Zimbabwe experienced another abduction and torture of a high profile activist, Partson Dzamara.
Other activists who were abducted and tortured by unidentified armed men – who remain not arrested or prosecuted – in the past few months, include Silvanos Mudzvova, Ostallos Siziva and kudakwashe Kambakunje.
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Partson Dzamara’s own brother Itai Dzamara was forcibly disappeared in March 2015 and remains missing.
Partson Dzamara was abducted after the unidentified men intercepted a convoy of cars with human rights defenders, setting the vehicles ablaze and later dumping Dzamara near Snake Park along the Harare –
Bulawayo Road.
Meanwhile, Partson Dzamara is battling it out with Pastor Evan Mawarire, Linda Masarira,Farai Mahere and MDC-T legislator Jessie Majome in this year People’s Choice Award for the Community Human
Rights Defenders (CHRDA),the awards that are organized by ZimRights .
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