ZIMBABWE: Trend of human rights violations remains same despite GPA

Dear Friends,


The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum extends condolences upon the sad news of the death of prominent human rights activist Mrs. Tsitsi Mutongi, who passed away yesterday, 30.6.09. Mrs Mutongi was the National Gender Representative of the National Constitutional Assembly(NCA), as well as the Provincial Coordinator of our member organisation, the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) and the Regioanl Taskforce member of the Election Support Network (ZESN). The attached press release from the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) refers.

We attach notice from the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition of a National People's Constitutional Convention which will take placefrom the 3^rd to the 4^th of July 2009 at the Harare International Conference Centre.


Yesterday, 30.6.09, the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum released the latest Monthly Political Violence Report for the month of May 2009. This report comes a year after the 27 June 2008 Presidential Election Run-off that saw some of the worst politically motivated violence the country has witnessed since independence.


Alarmingly, to date, violations reminiscent in nature to those that occurred in 2008 pre and post the

harmonised elections continue to be witnessed in some parts of the country.



Although the total number of violations recorded in May is significantly lower than those in April, the trends of violence have remained predominantly the same.


The full report is available to read on line via the Forum's website at the following web link:

http://www.hrforumzim.com/frames/inside_frame_monthly.htm


The Solidarity Peace Trust launched two new reports on Zimbabwe yesterday, 30.6.09. The first, "Walking a thin line" concerns the status of the GPA and the humanitarian crisis. The second, entitled "Gone to Egoli" is about the impact of the Diaspora on families in rural Matabeleland. Both are available on the Solidarity Peace Trust web site via the following web link:
http://www.solidaritypeacetrust.org/index.php?page=reports

-- International Liaison Office
Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum
56-64 Leonard Street
London EC2A 4LT
Tel. +44-(0)20-7065 0945
Email: IntLO@hrforumzim.com
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The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum has been in existence since January 1998 when non-governmental orgainsiations working in the field of human rights joined together to provide legal and psychological assistance to the victims of the Food Riots of January 1998. The Forum consists of 16 Zimbabwean human rights organisations. The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum operates a Research and Documentation Unit and offers legal services through the Public Interest Unit from the Headquarters in Harare, in addition to the information service that is offered internationally from the International Liaison Office. The International Liaison Office of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO in an effort to ensure the widest possible coverage for our reports, constantly updates and adds to the email addresses on our list using member organisations' contact lists or other sources. If you would like to have your name removed from the list, please send an email to zimhrforum@btconnect.com with the word 'unsubscribe' in the subject field.