PUT AN END TO REPRESSION IN ZIMBABWE

To mark International Human Rights Day (10 December) and in solidarity with our sisters and brothers from Zimbabwe, CIVICUS together with Amnesty International has launched a petition campaign to protest the systematic violation of fundamental rights in Zimbabwe, and in particular, the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, association and assembly. This petition will be submitted to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in Geneva.

The Civil Society Watch team of CIVICUS invites you to take action by signing the petition below, listing your name and country of origin.

As a sign of your commitment to this campaign, please forward it to as many people as possible. The campaign ends on 16 December 2003. If you receive this email by that date or if you are number 500 on the list, please send it back to [email][email protected]

Do not miss this opportunity, it will make a difference and you will be part of it.

PUT AN END TO REPRESSION IN ZIMBABWE

We would like to express our serious concern about the continued violations of civil liberties in Zimbabwe, particularly against the freedom of opinion and expression, association and assembly. The systematic and grave attacks on civil society organisations caused by government policy have been escalating since the parliamentary and presidential elections held in 2000 and 2002. The government has introduced restrictive legislation, outlawing dissent and placing fundamental rights under siege. All opposition and criticism have been blanketed as criminal and a threat to the state. The legislation has clamped down on any activities that might promote pluralist views, closing spaces for development and severely impacting civil society. As a result, many organisations have either closed down or are treading cautiously.

We call upon the United Nations (UN) and the governments of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to address the government of Zimbabwe to immediately cease all intimidation, arbitrary arrests and torture of members of the civil society and to immediately repeal and/or amend progressively all unjust and repressive laws which contravenes international and national law and which are incompatible with principles and provisions enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and other international human rights instruments; in particular the Public Order and Security Act (POSA), the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), the Broadcasting Services Act (BSA), the Private Voluntary Organisations Act (PVO), the Miscellaneous Offences Act, and other pieces of restrictive legislation.