HUMAN rights lobby
group, Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) has accused government of fostering tyranny
masked as enforcement of lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19 as human
rights violation cases continue to increase.
The lobby group said State security agents topped the list
of perpetrators of human rights violations.
“For the second time in the year, the police and army
topped the list of perpetrators of human rights violations.
Overall, the police contributed 41,21% of the human rights
violations, while the army contributed 22,26% of the violations,” ZPP said in a
statement yesterday.
The group said the law enforcement agents were often in
violation of the arrest procedure.
“ZPP recorded cases of arrested citizens not being taken
through the formal arrest procedure, but enduring harassment, intimidation and
assault at the hands of law enforcement agents. Victims told horror stories of
their experiences at the hands of law enforcement agents,” the statement read.
“This makes arrests in Zimbabwe a human rights issue. ZPP
recorded 110 cases of harassment and intimidation, the majority of which are
attributed to the State security agents, 13 cases of unlawful detention, 40
cases of assault and sadly, two extra-judicial killings with one of the major
cases being of an illegal miner who was shot in the head by a security guard in
Shamva on May 15.”
Videos and images of police officers beating up citizens
have been circulating on social media platforms, confirming the fears expressed
by ZPP, and reaffirming the organisation’s position that police and other
enforcement agents should conduct themselves in a professional and ethical way.
ZPP said last month, Harare recorded 100 violations, the
highest in the country, followed by Mashonaland East with 41 cases.
ZPP added: “The COVID-19-induced national lockdown has also
exacerbated the pre-existing food insecurity. Although the Zimbabwean economy
is highly informal, the sector has been excluded from essential services,
thereby increasing vulnerability of citizens.
“The end of May 2020 marked eight weeks of limited activity
for those in the informal sector. Those that operated did so unlawfully and the
consequences were either confiscation of their goods, a hefty fine, or
harassment, intimidation and assault by State security agents.”
ZPP urged the government to desist from violating the
rights of citizens, and respect the arrest and detention procedures as set out
in the law. The lobby group said the government should also reform the security
sector as recommended by the Motlanthe Commission and investigations should be
carried out on all cases of human rights abuses. Newsday
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