News / National
Zimbabwe records 29 cases of human rights violations in two weeks
27 Aug 2017 at 01:50hrs | Views
Heal Zimbabwe has recorded a total of 29 cases of human rights violations from 14 districts from the 24th of July to the 18th of August 2017.
The trust said a total of four different categories of human rights violations were recorded namely: Intimidation (with threats of violence or threats of withdrawal of food aid or agricultural inputs), forced participation (in political meetings, polling stations, Financial or material contributions), assault and disruption of political gatherings.
"The organisation noted that intimidation recorded the highest number of cases with 72.4% (21 cases), followed by forced attendance to political gatherings recording 17.25% (5 cases), assault which recorded 6.9% (2 cases) and disruption of meetings which recorded 3.45 % (1 case). Heal Zimbabwe observed that the majority of the human rights cases recorded are mainly centred on (i) the ongoing Presidential youth interface rallies, (ii) ZANU PF party restructuring processes and (iii) the falsehoods coined around the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) process," said the trust.
"Community members are being forced to attend ZANU PF restructuring meetings whether they support the party or not. Cases of harassment and intimidation are worrying especially now as the nation heads towards the 2018 plebiscite. HZT perceives intimidation as a hindrance to peaceful coexistence and a stumbling block towards freedom of expression in local communities and achievement of free, fair, peaceful and credible elections."
The trust said the distributions reveal that human rights violations were recorded in a total of 14 Districts that are: Makonde, Gokwe South, Kariba, Hurungwe, Harare, Gutu, Zvimba, Mudzi, Mutoko, Nyanga, Muzarabani, Bindura, Zvishavane and Chivi.
"There was a slight increase from the districts recorded in the previous report which registered 10 districts compared to 14 recorded in this reporting period. Zvimba (6 cases) and Gutu (5 cases) districts recorded the highest number of violations largely because of the recently conducted Presidential youth interface rallies in Masvingo and Chinhoyi respectively," said the trust.
"Heal Zimbabwe observed that there was a slight increase in the number of human rights violations in this period (29 cases) compared to the previous report were 16 cases were recorded. Intimidation was recorded in 11 districts save for three districts that are Harare, Bindura and Nyanga. HZT recorded 37 perpetrators from all the human rights violations reported in the period under review (36 males and 1 female)."
"26 of the recorded perpetrators were largely within ZANU PF party local leadership, 4 local councillors, 3 police officers, 2 war veterans and 2 teachers. The victims varied from ordinary community members, village heads, opposition supporters, teachers and journalists," the trust added.
The trust said a total of four different categories of human rights violations were recorded namely: Intimidation (with threats of violence or threats of withdrawal of food aid or agricultural inputs), forced participation (in political meetings, polling stations, Financial or material contributions), assault and disruption of political gatherings.
"The organisation noted that intimidation recorded the highest number of cases with 72.4% (21 cases), followed by forced attendance to political gatherings recording 17.25% (5 cases), assault which recorded 6.9% (2 cases) and disruption of meetings which recorded 3.45 % (1 case). Heal Zimbabwe observed that the majority of the human rights cases recorded are mainly centred on (i) the ongoing Presidential youth interface rallies, (ii) ZANU PF party restructuring processes and (iii) the falsehoods coined around the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) process," said the trust.
"Community members are being forced to attend ZANU PF restructuring meetings whether they support the party or not. Cases of harassment and intimidation are worrying especially now as the nation heads towards the 2018 plebiscite. HZT perceives intimidation as a hindrance to peaceful coexistence and a stumbling block towards freedom of expression in local communities and achievement of free, fair, peaceful and credible elections."
The trust said the distributions reveal that human rights violations were recorded in a total of 14 Districts that are: Makonde, Gokwe South, Kariba, Hurungwe, Harare, Gutu, Zvimba, Mudzi, Mutoko, Nyanga, Muzarabani, Bindura, Zvishavane and Chivi.
"There was a slight increase from the districts recorded in the previous report which registered 10 districts compared to 14 recorded in this reporting period. Zvimba (6 cases) and Gutu (5 cases) districts recorded the highest number of violations largely because of the recently conducted Presidential youth interface rallies in Masvingo and Chinhoyi respectively," said the trust.
"Heal Zimbabwe observed that there was a slight increase in the number of human rights violations in this period (29 cases) compared to the previous report were 16 cases were recorded. Intimidation was recorded in 11 districts save for three districts that are Harare, Bindura and Nyanga. HZT recorded 37 perpetrators from all the human rights violations reported in the period under review (36 males and 1 female)."
"26 of the recorded perpetrators were largely within ZANU PF party local leadership, 4 local councillors, 3 police officers, 2 war veterans and 2 teachers. The victims varied from ordinary community members, village heads, opposition supporters, teachers and journalists," the trust added.
Source - Byo24News
