Zimbabwe – Ready for Elections? 33 3 Operating environment Part A: Overview of compliance with human rights obligations 3.1 Interaction with human rights charter and treaty based organs Human rights are inter-related and interdependent. The right to participate in the government of the country can only be fully enjoyed if and when there is general respect for, promotion and protection of other rights that enable this participation. As previously stated in Chapter 1, Zimbabwe has ratified several human rights instruments that have a direct impact on credible, free and fair elections. Compliance with these instruments can impact on the right to participate in the government of the country. The freedoms of assembly, association, and expression, and other rights, will be referred to and fully discussed later in this chapter. In October 2011, Zimbabwe’s human rights record was under scrutiny during the 18th session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) Universal Periodic Review (UPR). This state-driven process reviewed how the country was faring in the human rights arena and recommendations were made on areas needing improvement in order for Zimbabwe to fulfill its human rights obligations. The process was completed in March 2012 during the 19th Session of the HRC with Zimbabwe finally accepting 130 recommendations out of 177.1 Key recommendations such as strengthening the rule of law and increasing representation of women in decision making were accepted. Recommendations to investigate all credible allegations of human rights violation related to the Presidential elections in 2008, particularly in the areas of torture, arbitrary arrests and detentions and enforced disappearances were rejected.2 In May 2012, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Navanethem Pillay, visited Zimbabwe at the invitation of the IG. During a briefing she indicated that 1 2 See Recommendations accepted by the government of Zimbabwe<http://www.uprinfo.org/database/> Last accessed on 27 July 2013. As above.