News / International
ZimVigil targets Patrick Chinamasa in London
26 Mar 2013 at 19:05hrs | Views
The UK-based pressure group, Zimbabwe Vigil, on Tuesday braved the icy British weather to demonstrate outside a venue hosting a meeting between the international community and a Zimbabwean delegation discussing cooperation ahead of this year's elections, the SW Radio Africa reports.
The ZimVigil has met outside the Zimbabwe Embassy in London every Saturday, since 2002 to protest the human rights abuses by the ZANU PF regime.
On Tuesday the group's protest was particularly aimed at ZANU PF's Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, who is attending the meeting together with the MDC's Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga and Elton Mangoma of the MDC-T.
Rose Benton, ZimVigil coordinator, said their message to Chinamasa was a demand for ZANU PF to end human rights abuses, torture and killings of Zimbabweans.
Benton said: "We have always said that as ZimVigil we will always target any member of ZANU PF who came to the UK once the sanctions were lifted and that's what we were doing.
"We were also there to alert the international donors and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that Zimbabweans are not happy with what is happening.
"We were asking the donor community and Britain not to give money to Mugabe unless there is rule of law in Zimbabwe and international observers are allowed to monitor free and fair elections," Benton said.
Benton added that ZimVigil members feel that the lifting of most of the targeted sanctions, announced by the European Union on Monday, was not based on any real political change in Zimbabwe but "has a lot to do with the EU wanting to lay its hands on Zimbabwe's diamonds."
Benton said it was too early for the international community to start giving funds to Zimbabwe and urged donors to attach conditions such as accountability, respect for the rule of law and the holding of credible elections, among other demands.
Although the ZimVigil group did not meet Chinamasa or any member of the Zimbabwe delegation, Benton said the head of the FCO Zimbabwe desk had asked to meet the group.
"We will be arranging a meeting with the FCO to express our feelings about what is happening in Zimbabwe and what the British government is doing. It is wrong for the international community to pretend that all is well in Zimbabwe when it clearly is not," she said
Benton said the recent March 16th constitutional referendum, on which the international community was basing its actions, was a sham and said there was no democracy in telling people how to vote in any poll.
The London meeting was organised by a group called the Friends of Zimbabwe and was attended by representatives of major development partners and several foreign ministers from all over the world.
The ZimVigil has met outside the Zimbabwe Embassy in London every Saturday, since 2002 to protest the human rights abuses by the ZANU PF regime.
On Tuesday the group's protest was particularly aimed at ZANU PF's Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, who is attending the meeting together with the MDC's Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga and Elton Mangoma of the MDC-T.
Rose Benton, ZimVigil coordinator, said their message to Chinamasa was a demand for ZANU PF to end human rights abuses, torture and killings of Zimbabweans.
Benton said: "We have always said that as ZimVigil we will always target any member of ZANU PF who came to the UK once the sanctions were lifted and that's what we were doing.
"We were also there to alert the international donors and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that Zimbabweans are not happy with what is happening.
"We were asking the donor community and Britain not to give money to Mugabe unless there is rule of law in Zimbabwe and international observers are allowed to monitor free and fair elections," Benton said.
Benton added that ZimVigil members feel that the lifting of most of the targeted sanctions, announced by the European Union on Monday, was not based on any real political change in Zimbabwe but "has a lot to do with the EU wanting to lay its hands on Zimbabwe's diamonds."
Benton said it was too early for the international community to start giving funds to Zimbabwe and urged donors to attach conditions such as accountability, respect for the rule of law and the holding of credible elections, among other demands.
Although the ZimVigil group did not meet Chinamasa or any member of the Zimbabwe delegation, Benton said the head of the FCO Zimbabwe desk had asked to meet the group.
"We will be arranging a meeting with the FCO to express our feelings about what is happening in Zimbabwe and what the British government is doing. It is wrong for the international community to pretend that all is well in Zimbabwe when it clearly is not," she said
Benton said the recent March 16th constitutional referendum, on which the international community was basing its actions, was a sham and said there was no democracy in telling people how to vote in any poll.
The London meeting was organised by a group called the Friends of Zimbabwe and was attended by representatives of major development partners and several foreign ministers from all over the world.
Source - SW Radio Africa
