Rights groups petition Africa over Zimbabwe
HARARE (Reuters) - More than 150 international rights groups petitioned African governments and the continent’s main political union on Wednesday to act on what they called a humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe.
President Robert Mugabe’s government drew global criticism over its demolition of urban slums this year. The United Nations said Mugabe’s Operation Restore Order has destroyed the homes or jobs of at least 700,000 people and affected the lives of 2.4 million others.
“Today’s mass letter-writing appeal highlights the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in the country and the failure of African states and the AU (African Union) to address the situation in any meaningful way,” a coalition led by Amnesty International and the Center on Housing Rights and Evictions said in a statement.
“The silence of African leaders on Zimbabwe represents a failure to honor their commitments to the human rights of ordinary Africans,” a spokesman for the groups said.
More: today.reuters.com
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South Africa, Zimbabwe strengthen defense, intelligence ties
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) -- South Africa and Zimbabwe signed an agreement to strengthen defense and intelligence ties at a ceremony Thursday emphasizing the solidarity between the two neighbors in the face of growing international condemnation of Zimbabwe.
South African Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils praised Zimbabwe's "advances and successes" in the 25 years since its independence from Britain. He said the two countries shared a "common world view" and would "march forward shoulder to shoulder."
The comments contrasted with the criticism heaped on Zimbabwe by most Western governments, which accuse Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe of
UN envoy urges Africa to address Zimbabwe crisis
JOHANNESBURG, 7 December (IRIN) - UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland has told South Africa that Africa should be "more outspoken on Zimbabwe".
In an interview with IRIN after his meeting on Wednesday with Sue van der Merwe, South Africa's deputy minister for foreign affairs, Egeland said, "We told them that each time it must not be Europe or any other western country raising issues [around] Zimbabwe."
The African Union has been taken to task by human rights bodies for its failure to criticise the Zimbabwean government's controversial clean-up campaign, Operation Murambatsvina, which left
Zimbabwe civil rights advocates blasted the government's proposed constitutional amendments that would, among other things, curtail the right of people to travel within the country and abroad. The government says the limit on travel is in public interest.
President Robert Mugabe's government says the constitutional amendment to restrict peoples' movements is a measure needed to combat international terrorism and protect the country's national interests.
But to human rights organizations, which have submitted their comments on the proposals, the measure violates a basic human right guaranteed in the 1980 constitution. They say there is no definition of "national interest" in the government proposal,
America's top Africa official Jenday Frazer says she is "disappointed" with Africa's leaders for "looking away" from the Zimbabwe crisis.
Frazer, former United States ambassador to South Africa and now assistant secretary of state for Africa, was in South Africa where she met foreign minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Monday.
She acknowledged that South Africa was not looking the other way on Zimbabwe in so far as it was trying to mediate there.
But on the other hand it was not openly saying there was a crisis there either as it had, for instance, in the Togo crisis.
"When I say African leaders
Freeing Africa from the yoke of dictators
SOME iron-fisted rulers think nothing of demolishing homes or deporting the opponents who dare to criticise their regimes.
The human rights infringements suffered by dissidents are a world away from Manchester's legal scene.
But city centre solicitors Dominic Keegan, 33, and Andrew Smith, 31, associates in DLA Piper's litigation team, are doing their bit to help solicitors fighting human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Botswana, Angola, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland and Zambia.
They have contributed to an 80-page guide for lawyers representing people who are victims of intimidation, deportation or other acts by governments and rulers.
More: www.manchesteronline.co.uk
