Geneva – Civil society organisations from Zimbabwe are lobbying for an assessment of the country’s human rights status by the United Nations (UN)’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in Geneva in Switzerland.
By ZimRights Information
A delegation of civic groups comprised of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) Human Rights NGO Forum and Christian Legal Society are currently in Geneva and are currently hosting side events to drum support for their recommendations.
Leading the Zimbabwe government delegation is vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa who is expected to formally table the country’s human rights report on Wednesday after which the country report will be subjected to a discussion.
Among the many things human rights groups want is government of Zimbabwe’s commitment to make positive reforms in the areas of rule of law, elections, constitutional compliance, national healing and reconciliation, independent constitutional commissions, socio-economic rights like health and education, prison conditions, women’s rights, and media.
Specific recommendations include that the government must ratify all outstanding international treaties and option protocols; expedite harmonisation of all existing laws with the Bill of Rights in the Constitution; and strengthen and operationalise through adequate funding independent Commissions.
Also, civil society wants in particular prohibition of torture, stoppage of harassment of journalists, investigation acts of harassment of human rights defenders , and guaranteeing of the right to basic education.
