The United States is following events in Zimbabwe closely, including the troubling moves on March 17 to strip Movement for Democratic Change Alliance (MDC Alliance) Vice President Tendai Biti and other MDC Alliance members of their elected seats in parliament.
Since March 2020, parliamentary maneuvers supported by the
Zimbabwean government have led to the ouster of 39 MDC Alliance MPs and 81
local elected officials. These actions
subvert the will of voters, further undermine democracy, and deny millions of
Zimbabwean citizens their chosen representation.
We continue to monitor efforts by the government to
dismantle the MDC Alliance through the arrest and detention of its leaders and
diversion of its assets. We also note
the government’s selective enforcement of COVID-19 regulations to indefinitely
postpone by-elections and prohibit MDC Alliance gatherings, while permitting
internal elections and gatherings for the ruling Zimbabwe African National
Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF) party and its allies to go forward.
The ZANU–PF is misusing the levers of government to silence
critics, neutralize opposition, and entrench its political power over the
Zimbabwean people.
We call on the Government of Zimbabwe to comply with its
obligation to respect the freedoms of expression and association enshrined in
Zimbabwe’s constitution and its international commitments.
0 comments:
Post a Comment