News / National
ZimRights demand progress on Dzamara search from govt
09 Mar 2016 at 09:10hrs | Views
As March 9, 2016, marks a complete year after the abduction of journalist-cum-human rights activist, Itai Dzamara, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) has demanded the need for the government to furnish progress on establishing the explanatory facts of his abduction.
Dzamara was abducted on March 9, 2015, by five male suspected state security agents at mid-morning on a Monday at a barbershop, while having a haircut, in Glen View's High Density Suburb in Harare, Zimbabwe.
The brief background before Itai Dzamara's abduction for his public protests at Africa Unity Square, firmly places the burden of explanation for his whereabouts on the state.
A few months before Dzamara's abduction he had petitioned the Head of State, conducted street protests and been both interrogated and publicly assaulted by law and order institutions particularly the police, exhibiting an intention to silence him.
During the last Community Human Rights Defenders'Award (CHRDA) held in December 2015 in Bulawayo by ZimRights, Dzamara won the 2015 Overall Human Rights Defender of the Year Award.
This was a recognition of his enduring role in fighting especially for rights of Zimbabweans at large, his personal courage, and the need to send a clear message to the authorities against such abductions.
"In 15 years, there have been approximately 5,500 politically-linked abductions in Zimbabwe, according to Counselling Services Unit (CSU), which is a clear human rights crisis," ZimRights said.
"Notable names of people who have been abducted and have not been accounted for include Paul Chizuze, Patrick Nabanyama and Rashiwe Guzha. While Zimbabwe in line with international norms of human rights has had need to demonstrate a clear commitment to the responsibility to protect its citizens, it has not lived up to this public expectation."
The organisation said utterances by some public officials, or silence thereof, have served to downplay the issue of Itai's unwarranted treatment even as a court order was issued by the High Court at Harare for the security forces to search for him.
"Efforts by civil society groups to raise public awareness on the matter and increase the likelihood of gathering information on the whereabouts of Dzamara over the past year have been met with recognisable official opposition. At this anniversary, therefore, ZimRights joins other concerned stakeholders who are calling for the release of Dzamara, or information about his whereabouts in particular, and an end to abductions in general," said the ZimRights.
Dzamara was abducted on March 9, 2015, by five male suspected state security agents at mid-morning on a Monday at a barbershop, while having a haircut, in Glen View's High Density Suburb in Harare, Zimbabwe.
The brief background before Itai Dzamara's abduction for his public protests at Africa Unity Square, firmly places the burden of explanation for his whereabouts on the state.
A few months before Dzamara's abduction he had petitioned the Head of State, conducted street protests and been both interrogated and publicly assaulted by law and order institutions particularly the police, exhibiting an intention to silence him.
During the last Community Human Rights Defenders'Award (CHRDA) held in December 2015 in Bulawayo by ZimRights, Dzamara won the 2015 Overall Human Rights Defender of the Year Award.
"In 15 years, there have been approximately 5,500 politically-linked abductions in Zimbabwe, according to Counselling Services Unit (CSU), which is a clear human rights crisis," ZimRights said.
"Notable names of people who have been abducted and have not been accounted for include Paul Chizuze, Patrick Nabanyama and Rashiwe Guzha. While Zimbabwe in line with international norms of human rights has had need to demonstrate a clear commitment to the responsibility to protect its citizens, it has not lived up to this public expectation."
The organisation said utterances by some public officials, or silence thereof, have served to downplay the issue of Itai's unwarranted treatment even as a court order was issued by the High Court at Harare for the security forces to search for him.
"Efforts by civil society groups to raise public awareness on the matter and increase the likelihood of gathering information on the whereabouts of Dzamara over the past year have been met with recognisable official opposition. At this anniversary, therefore, ZimRights joins other concerned stakeholders who are calling for the release of Dzamara, or information about his whereabouts in particular, and an end to abductions in general," said the ZimRights.
Source - Byo24News
