News from The Zimbabwe Forum

Dear friends



26 June is the United Nations International Day in support of the victims of torture. The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum will commemorate the day by holding a service at Southwark Cathedral, London on the day at 7pm. Outgoing Forum chairperson and Executive Director of our member organisation Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) Irene Petras will address the gathering. The invitation with directions to Southwark Cathedral is available via the following link;

http://www.hrforumzim.com/index.html



On 17 June 2009, the Forum's member organisations elected Dzikamai Machingura of the Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ) to be the new chairperson while Primrose Matambanadzo of the Zimbabwe Association for Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) will deputise him. Jestina Mukoko of the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), Gladys Nkomo of the Zimbabwe Civic Education Trust (ZIMCET) and Deborah Barron of the Legal Resources Foundation (LRF) were elected to the Management Committee. For more details see the Forum's Press Statement via the following link;http://www.hrforumzim.com/frames/inside_frame_press.htm



The right to freedom of expression remains under severe threat in Zimbabwe. Our member organisation the Women of Zimbabwe Arise reported on 18 June 2009 that three journalists (including one from the state controlled Herald) were among eight people who had been arrested in Harare following a peace protest to commemorate International Refugee Day which is commemorated annually on 20 June. This follows the arrest of eight other members of WOZA in Bulawayo on 17 June 2009. More details on the arrests are available via the following web link;

http://wozazimbabwe.org/



The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-Zimbabwe) reported on 17 June 2009 that the editor and news editor of /The Zimbabwe Independent /who face up to 20 years imprisonment for violating the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act have applied to have their matter referred to the Supreme Court.



MISA-Zimbabwe also reported on 17 June 2009 that a journalist with a weekly provincial paper /The Mirror /was threatened by the ZANU PF provincial chairperson for Masvingo with unspecified action which would result in him being unable to walk again.



Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-Zimbabwe) reported on 17 June 2009 that parliament had expressed concern over the slow progress that has been made towards achieving media plurality and diversity and recommended among other things that the minister of Media, Information and Publicity constitute the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe Board (BAZ) which should immediately start granting licenses to other media players by the 6th of August 2009.


The three MISA-Zimbabwe alerts can be viewed via the following web links;

http://www.misa.org/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?category=2&id=1245163063

http://www.misa.org/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?category=2&id=1245243783

http://www.misazim.co.zw/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=559&Itemid=1



The Secretary General of Amnesty International Irene Khan ended a six-day high level mission to Zimbabwe yesterday, 18 June 2009 by describing the human rights situation in the country as precarious, and the socio-economic conditions as desperate for the vast majority of Zimbabweans. More on the visit can be accessed via the following web link;

http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/zimbabwe-amnesty-international-secretary-general-concludes-visit-2009061



The Crisis Coalition's/ Daily Catalyst /of 18 June 2009 gives an update of the arrest of the Director General of the Movement for Democratic Change Toendepi Shonhe who was arrested on 16 June 2009 on charges of perjury, was granted bail on 18 June 2009 by a Harare Magistrate but the State invoked the notorious section 121 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act which suspends the bail granted by a lower court. We attach the /Catalyst./



The Centre for Research & Development (CRD) based in Mutare has issued a statement expressing serious concern over the defending of last year's perpetrators of violence by the police who instead have arrested the victims leaving out perpetrators. We attach the statement.



VERITAS, in the attached Constitution Watch of 15.6.09, advises that the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Constitution has produced a Work Plan for producing a draft new Constitution by the middle of March 2010. We attach the Work Plan.