Major Highlights
On September 27, 2022, the Zimbabwe High Court granted an application to
halt the lower court trial proceedings of a case involving opposition activists
Joana Mamombe (Legislator), Cecelia Chimbiri, and Netsai Marova to enable
a review of magistrate Faith Mushure’s ruling. The application for stay comes
after the magistrate ruled to dismiss an application for discharge in a case
dragging for over 28 months of alleged stage-managing their abduction and
communicating falsehoods. Since their arrest on May 13, 2020, for
participating in a peaceful protest, the three women, all members of the
Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC), have been in and out of court.
Mamombe, Chimbiri, and Marova suffered torture, harassment, and
degrading treatment. They add to the number of victims of torture,
abduction, and enforced disappearances at the hands of the State.
Alarmingly, on September 29, a CCC activist Felix Biri was reportedly
abducted by Zanu PF activists in Nyatsime. He was allegedly forcibly taken
from his home, beaten, tortured, and later dumped at Zimbabwe Republic
Police CID Law and Order. The victim appeared in court on October 1,
charged with inciting public violence, denied bail, and remanded in custody
to October 11, 2022. Opposition activists and human rights defenders
continue to be victims of abductions and torture while the government
denies the accusations and sometimes blames a third force and falsehoods.
On September 29, Zimbabwean author and activist Tsitsi Dangarembwa and
fellow protestor Julie Barnes were both found guilty of inciting violence
when they marched in Harare holding placards calling for institutional and
political reforms. The two were arrested in July 2020 and, more than two
years later, sentenced to six months in prison, suspended on condition that
they pay a fine of ZWL $70,000. Their conviction for exercising the right to
demonstrate and petition violates their constitutional rights and should not
be criminalised in Zimbabwe.
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