News / Local
Harare tops in human rights violations
21 Sep 2023 at 01:14hrs | Views
During the recent election period in Zimbabwe, a report from the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) has documented 384 human rights violations, with Manicaland and Harare registering the highest number of cases.
The report highlights that the most common violations involved intimidation, violence, and malicious damage to property. Harare recorded 98 cases of human rights violations, while Manicaland reported 70 cases.
"Human rights violations continued at a high rate during the month of elections. ZPP recorded 384 human rights violations, a significant increase from 301 in July 2023. Fifty-nine percent of the violations were threats, harassment, and intimidation, 16% were assaults, and 9% involved malicious damage to property. ZPP identified 8,832 victims of human rights violations (51% male, 48% female, 0.11% male persons with disabilities (PWDs), and 0.12% female PWDs)," the report stated.
The elections, which took place on August 23 and 24, were reportedly marred by violence, leading the Southern African Development Community (SADC) election observer mission to declare that the polls did not meet the requirements of Zimbabwe's Constitution, the Electoral Act, and SADC's Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections.
According to the ZPP report, the perpetrators of these violations were mainly supporters of the ruling Zanu-PF party and members of Forever Associates Zimbabwe (FAZ).
"The general citizenry constituted the highest percentage of victims, at 86%, followed by Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) supporters at 12%. Zanu-PF was responsible for most of the violations (37%), followed by Forever Associate Zimbabwe (FAZ) at 28%. Harare (98) and Manicaland (70) provinces reported the highest violations, while Matabeleland North (11) and Bulawayo (14) had the lowest," the report revealed.
The report also mentioned that FAZ members threatened to assault voters who did not visit their "exit survey desk" and coerced citizens to register their names with them. This practice was particularly prevalent in several provinces.
The United States embassy expressed concern over the increase in politically motivated violence and intimidation after the election, emphasizing that every individual, regardless of their political affiliation, has the right to live free from fear and to be treated fairly under the law.
However, FAZ President Kudakwashe Munsaka dismissed the ZPP report, stating that the organization did not contribute to any human rights violations. Munsaka questioned the methodology used by ZPP to arrive at its conclusions and criticized the report as misleading and vague.
The report highlights that the most common violations involved intimidation, violence, and malicious damage to property. Harare recorded 98 cases of human rights violations, while Manicaland reported 70 cases.
"Human rights violations continued at a high rate during the month of elections. ZPP recorded 384 human rights violations, a significant increase from 301 in July 2023. Fifty-nine percent of the violations were threats, harassment, and intimidation, 16% were assaults, and 9% involved malicious damage to property. ZPP identified 8,832 victims of human rights violations (51% male, 48% female, 0.11% male persons with disabilities (PWDs), and 0.12% female PWDs)," the report stated.
The elections, which took place on August 23 and 24, were reportedly marred by violence, leading the Southern African Development Community (SADC) election observer mission to declare that the polls did not meet the requirements of Zimbabwe's Constitution, the Electoral Act, and SADC's Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections.
According to the ZPP report, the perpetrators of these violations were mainly supporters of the ruling Zanu-PF party and members of Forever Associates Zimbabwe (FAZ).
"The general citizenry constituted the highest percentage of victims, at 86%, followed by Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) supporters at 12%. Zanu-PF was responsible for most of the violations (37%), followed by Forever Associate Zimbabwe (FAZ) at 28%. Harare (98) and Manicaland (70) provinces reported the highest violations, while Matabeleland North (11) and Bulawayo (14) had the lowest," the report revealed.
The report also mentioned that FAZ members threatened to assault voters who did not visit their "exit survey desk" and coerced citizens to register their names with them. This practice was particularly prevalent in several provinces.
The United States embassy expressed concern over the increase in politically motivated violence and intimidation after the election, emphasizing that every individual, regardless of their political affiliation, has the right to live free from fear and to be treated fairly under the law.
However, FAZ President Kudakwashe Munsaka dismissed the ZPP report, stating that the organization did not contribute to any human rights violations. Munsaka questioned the methodology used by ZPP to arrive at its conclusions and criticized the report as misleading and vague.
Source - newsday
