current pro ZANU-PF leadership with independent people. As security expert Dr. Maxwell
Shumba explained:
The kind of reform urgently needed for Zimbabwe’s security sector is not a complex
process as the bulk of the army and police are professional, independent and nonpartisan; reform must target leadership of the army and the police which is highly
partisan.24
Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Zimbabwe is
party, states that every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity, without
discrimination because of political opinion or other unreasonable restrictions, “To vote
and to be elected at genuine periodic elections which shall be by universal and equal
suffrage and shall be held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of
the electors.”25
The United Nations Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials provides that, “In the
performance of their duty, law enforcement officials shall respect and protect human
dignity and maintain and uphold the human rights of all persons.”26
International standards relevant to the conduct of security forces are enshrined in the UN
International Code of Conduct for Public Officials, which provides:
1. A public office, as defined by national law, is a position of trust, implying a duty
to act in the public interest. Therefore, the ultimate loyalty of public officials shall
be to the public interests of their country as expressed through the democratic
institutions of government.
2. Public officials shall ensure that they perform their duties and functions
efficiently, effectively and with integrity, in accordance with laws or administrative
policies.
24 Human Rights Watch interview with security expert, Dr. Maxwell Shumba, London, April 24, 2013.
25 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), G.A. res. 2200A (XXI), 21 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 16) at 52, U.N.
Doc. A/6316 (1966), 999 U.N.T.S. 171, entered into force Mar. 23, 1976. Zimbabwe ratified the ICCPR in 1991.
26 Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials, G.A. res. 34/169, annex, 34 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 46) at 186, U.N. Doc.
A/34/46 (1979), art. 2.
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HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH │ MAY 2013
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