Letter by Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum
Dear Friends, As we send this letter out, reports from our Head Office indicate that the AGM of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition was being disrupted by the police this afternoon and our delegates had to leave the meeting. Nothing is known about arrests at this time. From our member organisations in Zimbabwe we draw your attention to the following 5 items: In a News Release yesterday, 27.8.08, Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) report the postponement of the trial of 14 of their members until October 15 th. The so called ‘Chikurubi 14' were arrested in Harare on 28.5.08 whilst attempting to deliver a petition to SADC calling for an end to political violence. Further details are available on the WOZA website http://www.wozazimbabwe.org/ Our member organisations the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Zimbabwe) and the Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ) are amongst the organisations comprising the Media Alliance of Southern Africa (MAZ) who issued a statement on 26.8.08 addressing the negotiating parties and incoming MPs on the media situation in Zimbabwe. It can be read on-line at http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/media/080821maz.asp?sector=MEDIA We have 2 additional items from MISA Zimbabwe - Firstly, the attached Statement of 27.8.07 congratulating Honourable Members of the House of Assembly and the Senate on the occasion of the convening of the 7th Parliament of the Republic of Zimbabwe calling on them to take greater consideration on issues of freedom of expression and access to information. - Secondly, the attached Media Alert of 25.8.08 concerns the arrest of Rutendo Mawere, a correspondent with the privately owned Standard newspaper after she took pictures of a crowd that included soldiers and policemen queuing for basic commodities in Midlands town of Gweru. The MMPZ issued the attached report today, 28.8.08. This report documents the performance of the national public broadcaster, ZBC, in the 2008 March and June national elections and reveals how its undisguised allegiance to the ruling party, ZANU PF, has resulted in the organization violating the country's election broadcasting laws with impunity and subverting its public mandate to provide fair and equitable coverage of election contestants. Other civil society statements and recent reports of interest concerning Zimbabwe include: The attached Bill Watch Special of 25.8.08 produced by Veritas gives information about the appointment of 8 of the Provincial Governors and 3 Senators in Zimbabwe. We also refer you to the Bill Watch 33/2008 of 23.8.08 clarifying and providing additional details concerning the recent opening of Parliament of Zimbabwe and the roles of various office bearers. Further, find attached a Communiqué by 12 youth organisations in Zimbabwe following a consultative meeting facilitated by the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) in Harare. They resolved to urgently petition the SADC and the African Union to register discontent over the visibly collapsed talks and urge them to help resume the talks. We attach the Daily Agenda of 26.8.08 produced by Bulawayo Agenda which consists of alerts from active chapters in Gweru, Gwanda, Plumtree, Victoria Falls, Hwange, Matopo, Lupane, Nkayi and Tsholotsho. FEMNET, the African Women's Development and Communication Network, issued the attached Media Release on 26.8.08 about how their staff and activists in Nairobi were barred by Zimbabwe High Commission officials from delivering a letter of solidarity with the women of Zimbabwe. For our friends in Mozambique, Angola and other Portuguese speaking countries, we attach an article on Zimbabwe published by Conectas Direitos Humanos in their August newsletter and in Brazil's second main newspaper, Folha de Sao Paulo, on 31.7.08 Finally, for those in the UK, the annual Zimfest hosted by WEZIMBABWE will take place this coming Saturday, 30.8.08 from 12 noon to 10pm at Prince George's Playing Fields, Bushey Rd, Raynes Pk, London SW20. The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum is a part sponsor of the festival this year and will have a stall. We hope to meet some of you there. For further details, ticket information and directions please visit the WEZIMBABWE website at www.wezimbabwe.org
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