AU Challenged Over Zim Rights Abuses

AU Challenged Over Zim Rights Abuses

HUMAN rights campaigners have challenged the African Union to denounce
the persecution of government critics in Zimbabwe when leaders converge for
the annual summit in Addis Ababa next week.

They said the AU's silence and lack of vision on the crisis in
Zimbabwe, particularly the current crackdown on dissenting voices, was
"baffling".

African leaders meet in the Ethiopian capital from January 26 to
February 3 for the organisation's 12th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of
Heads of State and Government, 17th Ordinary Session of the Permanent
Representatives Committee (PRC), and the 14th Ordinary Session of the
Executive Council (EC).

But there's growing scepticism that not much could come out of the
meeting regarding the crisis in Zimbabwe, as the AU has in the past
"squandered numerous opportunities" to resolve it.

Amnesty International said the AU should publicly denounce the
persecution of government critics by state security agents, and deploy human
rights monitors to investigate all allegations of human rights abuses.

The group's deputy Africa programme director, Veronique Aubert, said:
"The AU needs to make a strong statement that this is unacceptable to
African leadership".

"African leaders have squandered numerous opportunities to end the
persecution of government critics in Zimbabwe," said Aubert.

"They (African leaders) continue to be deaf to cries for help and
have chosen to be unmoved by ongoing evidence of human suffering in the
country.

"The silence of African leaders and their failure to condemn the
government's blatant disregard for human rights has significantly
contributed to the prolonging of the Zimbabwean human rights crisis."

Among other things, Aubert said, the AU - which alongside the
Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) guaranteed a power-sharing
agreement between Zanu PF and the two MDC formations on September 15 2008 -
should deploy human rights monitors to Zimbabwe.

Aubert said Zimbabwean authorities were "clearly committing grave
human rights violations in an attempt to silence critics and political
opponents".

"The AU should immediately call for an end to human rights violations
by the security forces and decide to deploy human rights monitors," Aubert
said.

Human rights researcher Simeon Mawanza said the Summit "presents a
crucial opportunity for African leaders to speak out and show solidarity
with the people of Zimbabwe, rather than just with the leaders".

Activists are expected to converge in Addis Ababa, where they will
picket in an attempt to pressure Africa to express outrage at the torture of
human rights defenders.

BY VUSUMUZI SIFILE