Rights Groups say New Zimbabwe Government Faces Big Challenge | Voice of America - English
Zimbabwe's leaders are meeting to choose a new government as part of a power-sharing agreement signed Monday aimed at ending the country's political crisis.  But human rights groups say they will press the new unity government to reign in abuses by security forces and punish previous human rights violations.
Human rights groupssay Zimbabwe's power-sharing agreement is a step forward, but the unitygovernment created by the accord must address human rights abuses if itis to succeed. Amnesty International's Zimbabwe expert, SimeonMawanza, says the government of President Robert Mugabe has beenviolating human rights for years. "Under international law acountry, especially Zimbabwe, would have a responsibility to ensurethat victims of human rights violations get justice," he said. "And theunity agreement should not be used as a mechanism to deny victims theirright." The Zimbabwe accord followed months of negotiationsbetween Mr. Mugabe's ZANU-PF party and opposition leader MorganTsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change. Mawanza worries that the unity government created by the agreement will amnesty those who committed human rights abuses. "Duringthe mediation process, human rights were not so much featured in thedialogue or in the discourse of the mediation process," he said. "Andit is time now that human rights become central as part of theinvestment in the long-term sustainable peace of the country." AmnestyInternational would like to see a mechanism set up to investigate humanrights violations and look at reparations for their victims. The opposition says more than 100 activists were killed and thousands beaten or tortured during this year's election campaign. Theopposition won parliamentary elections in March and Mr. Tsvangirai wonmore votes than Mr. Mugabe in the first round of the presidentialvote. But Mr. Mugabe won a runoff election after Mr. Tsvangiraiwithdrew, citing a campaign of state-sponsored violence. TheAfrica Deputy-Director of Human Rights Watch, Carolyn Norris, says thenew government should send a signal to the Zimbabwean people andinternational community by taking some immediate steps. "Andthat includes really important things like, for a start, dismantlingthe torture camps which are still operational in parts of Zimbabwe,releasing all the political prisoners and stopping this whole programof spurious political charges against members of the MDC," she said. Shesays many opposition leaders, including six elected members ofparliament, were detained in recent weeks on politically motivatedcharges. And hundreds of political prisoners remain in jail. Oppositionleader Morgan Tsvangirai, who was beaten in February while trying tohold a rally, acknowledged the need to address human rights duringremarks at the signing ceremony in which he praised ZANU-PF leaders. "Thosecolleagues that have made this historic opportunity possible, onlythrough a public acknowledgment of past wrongs can we begin the processof national healing," he said. Activists acknowledge thatZimbabwe's new leadership faces daunting challenges, including easingfood shortages for millions of people and rebuilding the country'sdecayed infrastructure, health services and education system. But theysay reforming the justice system and strengthening the rule of law arealso important for the successful reconstruction of the nation.