Commissions Watch 7/2016
Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission:
Press Statement on Public Protests and Police Conduct
30 August
Police have a duty to facilitate the conduct of undisturbed peaceful
demonstrations and petitions. The ZHRC is, therefore, extremely
concerned about the recent violent conduct of the ZRP.
The ZHRC has received complaints on allegations of Police brutality and
our ongoing investigations have revealed unbecoming and violent conduct
on the part of the Police. This has led to unfortunate physical and emotional
injuries to some innocent persons including minors. This is regrettable and
we call upon the authorities to ensure that the perpetrators of such human
rights violations are prosecuted. To that end the ZHRC encourages
members of the public who may have suffered human rights violations to
come forward and lodge formal complaints with the Commission.
The ZHRC is also concerned by the indiscriminate teargasing of centers
occupied by people some of whom may not be involved in the
demonstration. This should stop and we call for due diligence and care to
ensure that the rights and freedoms of innocent citizens are respected and
protected.
The ZHRC abhors violence in any form. The Commission, therefore, calls
upon all citizens who decide to demonstrate to do so within the confines of
the law and never with violence. As Zimbabweans, we all have rights and
duties that we need to exercise peacefully at all times.
In the case of violent protests or demonstrations, the right to personal
liberty, rights of arrested and detained persons and freedom from torture or
cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, right to a fair trial
and rights of accused persons should be upheld at all times.
The ZHRC calls for an immediate end to violence, threats and intimidation
by all perpetrators. We urge all Zimbabweans to exercise restraint and selfcontrol and to remain calm. We urge the ZRP and respective arms of the
Executive to ensure that citizens are permitted to demonstrate peacefully
and utilise constructive dialogue to address genuine concerns.
NB: The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission’s press statement is also
available at http://veritaszim.net/node/1800
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