From: Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum
On 1.4.09, the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) released an Early Warning Report on Human Rights and Food Related Violations for January 2009. This report was compiled at a time when the Director and two staff members of ZPP were charged with 'recruiting people to undergo training to topple the government'. Under these circumstances, it presents a checklist on how far the Global Political Agreement influenced the level of politically-engineered human rights violations.
Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) issued a News Update , 01.4.09, reporting on their continued campaign to engage schools directly on education issues. Schools around Harare were visited in an effort to engage school authorities directly over unreasonable demands on parents. WOZA commends those authorities who took the time to meet. It calls on all parents to take an active role in participating in the running of the schools that their children attend. It can be accessed through the following link: http://wozazimbabwe.org/?p=386
On 30.3.09 the Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ) issued the Transitional Barometer which summarizes how the media has covered issues relating to the coalition government and assesses how the media is monitoring adherence to the Global Political Agreement. Data gathered by MMPZ in February exposed the frailty of the inclusive government as evidenced by how some parties have acted against the spirit of the inclusive government.
The latest MMPZ Media Update 2009-11 covering the period 16-22 March 2009. MMPZ express concern about the authorities' failure to establish the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) to replace the old Media and Information Commission (MIC) whose legal existence was terminated by amendments to AIPPA. MMPZ note that this has caused confusion over media regulation as MIC continues to exercise illegal control of media activity.
Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) released a Newsflash of 29.3.09 calling for an end to the current wave of politically motivated farm invasions stating that they are destabilising the agricultural sector. In another ZimRights Newsflash of 31.3.09 a call is made upon the Ministry of Justice and to civil society organisations to work together to restore sanity in the country's prisons. ZimRights observe that “current prison conditions are a travesty to the rights of these prisoners who have been exposed to condition that no human being should”.
Other recent statements / reports on Zimbabwe from civil society organizations about Zimbabwe include the following 5 items:The truly shocking state of Zimbabwean prisons and inhumane conditions endured by prisoners is highlighted in an item dated 30.3.09 on the Sokwanele web site. The work of our member organization Zimbabwe Association for Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation of the Offender (ZACRO) is highlighted in this disturbing piece which contains graphic photographs and descriptions of conditions inside Zimbabwean prisons. It can be accessed via the following web linkhttp://www.sokwanele.com/articles/sokwanele/zimbabwesprisonsaredeathtraps_31march_310309
Veritas issued the Peace Watch of 31.3.09 with updates on political abductees and the persistence by the state to charge peace workers from Jestina Mukoko and Broderick Takawira of our member organization Zimbabwe Peace Project.
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition issued a ‘Weather Report’ dated 30.3.09 noting the uncertainty in the political climate evidenced by the continued farm invasions. In the same report, the General Agriculture and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe (GAPWUZ) reports on rising incidents of farm disturbances across the country which they assert have affected over 1, 5000 families during recent incidents.
Given this uncertain political climate, we would like to remind readers about the minimum demands adopted by participants at a Transitional Workshop hosted by the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum and many civil society partner organizations in Harare on 9-10.09.08. These can be found on our web site via the following link http://www.hrforumzim.com/frames/inside_frame_press.htm
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