Zimbabwe Suspended Indefinitely
from Commonwealth
NEW YORK – Human Rights First
welcomed the recent decision of the Commonwealth to maintain
its suspension of Zimbabwe. Meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, the Commonwealth
Heads of State and Government voted yesterday to renew Zimbabwe’s
suspension, which was put in place in March 2002, following
the country’s flawed presidential elections.
“This decision recognizes the serious nature of the crisis
in Zimbabwe and the lack of genuine efforts by the government
to respect the basic rights of its people,” said Neil
Hicks, Director of Human Rights First’s Human Rights
Defenders Program. “Commonwealth leaders are to be commended
for upholding the human rights principles to which all members
of the organization are committed.”
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe called the Commonwealth
decision “unacceptable” and announced that Zimbabwe
would withdraw from the organization immediately.
A Commonwealth Observer Group sent to Zimbabwe in March 2002
to monitor the country’s presidential election, reported
that the election was “marred by a high level of politically
motivated violence and intimidation” and that “thousands
of Zimbabwean citizens were disenfranchised.” The Group
concluded that conditions in Zimbabwe “did not adequately
allow for a free expression of will by the electors.”
Following this report, a Commonwealth committee composed of
the prime minister of Australia and the presidents of Nigeria
and South Africa decided to suspend Zimbabwe from the organization
for one year. In March 2003, the decision on whether to lift
the suspension was postponed until the matter could be discussed
at the meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of State and Government
in Abuja in December 2003.
The human rights situation in Zimbabwe has steadily deteriorated
throughout 2002 and 2003, exacerbating a serious economic crisis.
Local, regional and international organizations have documented
pervasive serious abuses, including torture and political violence,
arbitrary arrests and detention, politically motivated prosecutions,
and heavy restrictions on freedom of expression, association
and assembly. These rights violations are in contravention of
the 1991 Harare Declaration, which pledges all members of the
Commonwealth to work to ensure democracy, human rights and the
rule of law. Nonetheless, several African leaders have continued
to support Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and have called
for the Commonwealth to lift its suspension of the country.
It is worth noting that at a meeting in Botswana organized by
Human Rights First in August, representatives of human rights
and civil society groups from seven African countries condemned
human rights violations in Zimbabwe and called, among other
things, for the Commonwealth to continue its suspension of Zimbabwe
“until the government complies with the Harare Declaration
and takes concrete steps to restore the rule of law, restores
respect for human rights and holds perpetrators of human rights
violations accountable.”
After the decision by Nigerian President Obasanjo not to invite
Zimbabwe to the Abuja meeting, President Mugabe attacked the
Commonwealth and labeled it under the control of white “racists.”
Such comments, designed to split the Commonwealth and public
opinion upon racial lines, are typical of the tactics used by
Mugabe to deflect regional and international criticism of his
human rights record. “By choosing to see through such
posturing and by renewing Zimbabwe’s suspension, the Commonwealth
states have provided crucial support to all those within Zimbabwe
who are struggling to ensure respect for the basic rights of
the Zimbabwean people,” commented Hicks. “It is
essential that all Commonwealth states send the message that
if one of its members ignores the obligations taken on when
the Harare Declaration was adopted, it will not be supported
by its neighbors and Commonwealth partners.”
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