Latest from Zimbabwe

Dear friends

The situation in Zimbabwe continues to hog the spotlight in regional and international meetings. During the recent Citizens’ Continental Conference held in Addis Ababa Ethiopia from 16 to 17 January 2009, participants expressed deep concern about the needless deaths arising from cholera as well as the escalating politically motivated and organised violence, including the abductions of Civil Society and political activists. The participants called upon the African Union to formally recognise that the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) mediation is challenged and has not achieved the desired results and that the resolution of the Zimbabwean Crisis should be done under the direct authority of the AU and also condemned the on-going violence, torture and abductions taking place in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum’s officers Blessing Gorejena and Tor Olsen participated in the Conference which issued the attached communiqué which was released on 21 January 2009 and will be presented to country delegations that will attend the 12^th African Union Heads of States Summit to be held in Addis Ababa from 26^th January 2009.

On 21 January 2009, our member organization the Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) issued a press statement advising that its leaders Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu will appear on trial tomorrow, 22nd January 2009 at Bulawayo Magistrate Court. The two face a charge of disturbing peace, security or order of public. We attach the press statement.

On 20 January 2009, our member organization the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-Zimbabwe) issued an alert on the refusal by the Retrenchment Board to sanction the retrenchment of six Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings (ZBH) journalists who were suspended in June 2008 on allegations of ‘acting in a manner inconsistent with the fulfilment of the implied conditions’ after they allegedly failed to effectively campaign for Robert Mugabe in the run-up to the 29 March 2008 harmonised elections. The full alert is available via the following link;
http://www.misazim.co.zw/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=433&Itemid=1