3.2 Achievements
Through public interest litigation 23 civil cases were filed against the government,
culminating in the prosecution and imprisonment of several police officers, including
one senior officer, Inspector Chani, who had tortured a suspect to death and the
Minister of Defence who was fined US$11,000. and US$986.00 for the torture of two
victims by members of the national army. Effective human rights monitoring and
lobbying resulted in the visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms.
Navy Pillay, in May 2012 which put Zimbabwe’s human rights record on the spotlight.
Subsequently the state President made numerous calls for peace and respect for
diversity of political views. Lobby and Advocacy efforts resulted in political parties
agreeing to including provisions for a National Peace and Reconciliation Commission in
the new Constitution and an improved and expansive Bill of Rights. More citizens
demanded their socio-economic and political rights as evidenced by human rights
victims increasing demand for legal assistance, that increase totalled 13 357 legal
assistance beneficiaries for the consortium. Among the beneficiaries was a visually
impaired university lecturer who got permission to hire an assistant paid for by the
University after successfully challenging university authorities, as well as 254 prison
inmates facing prolonged stay on remand without going for trial. Stamp duty fees for
Maintenance and Protection Order Applications were reduced and an increase in the
jurisdiction of magistrates’ courts from $2,000.00 to $10,000.00 were effected by the
Judicial Services Commission after the consortium’s lobbying. Order forms became
free for women who could represent themselves in court, while change in the
jurisdiction of magistrates’ courts allowed the poor to access justice more affordably
from magistrates’ courts as opposed to High Courts. The consortium developed a
Human Rights Training Manual, which outlined prisoners’ rights and the duties of prison
officers. It was used to train 130 middle level ZPS officers as trainers. More than 9 000
prisoners benefited from training on their socio-economic rights. Remand cells at police
stations in the Mbare District of Harare were refurbished. The Prison Act was reviewed
by stakeholders to make it responsive to human rights concerns and
focus on
rehabilitation as opposed to punishment. This culminated in the draft Amendment Bill
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