ZIMBABWE LAWYERS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (ZLHR) COMES TO THE AID OF TARGETED CIVIL SOCIETY • It was also a busy month for the legal team who also represented Civil Society and labour leaders charged with subverting a constitutionally elected government. 7 CSO leaders who were arrested on their way from the Maldives were granted bail following a bail application filed by ZLHR Lawyers. They could afford to smile, and beam all thanks to ZLHR Lawyers. • Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights hosted Mobile Legal Clinics to promote public awareness of the Constitution in Marondera, Manicaland Province, Tsholotsho, Muzarabani, and Rushinga. The mobile legal clinic held in Pfungwe was attended by more than 300 people, thumbs up to the convening team. • ZLHR was also instrumental in ending the persecution of Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe leader Obert Masaraure after dismissing the State’s application for revocation of his bail. Masaraure was charged with subverting a constitutionally elected Government. In Gokwe, ZLHR offered emergency legal assistance to Stephen Mangoma, a teacher charged with misconduct charges after he allegedly denounced President Mnangagwa’s ZANU PF party and criticised Education Minister Mavima for causing untold suffering among citizens. ZIMBABWE PEACE PROJECT (ZPP) ADVANCES PEACE AND JUSTICE IN COMMUNITIES • The Zimbabwe Peace Project’s community ambassadors in Chilonga, Chiredzi, ward 7 intervened in a plot to marry-off a 16-year-old girl to a religious leader. In a landmark collaboration between Plan International and the ZRP Victim Friendly Unit, which was coordinated by ZPP, the Lobola negotiations were cancelled. The successful intervention of ZPP though its Peace Ambassadors and their tenacity in fighting the scourge of Child marriages, is much celebrated • ZPP convened a radio programme on 17 June in commemoration of the International Day in Support of Survivors of Torture on Capitalk FM. Facilitators of the radio programme were Jestina Mukoko, ZPP National Director accompanied by Wilbert Mandinde from Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum and Rumbidzayi Zinyemba from Counselling Services Unit (CSU). • ZPP facilitated a citizen opinion poll on the National Dialogue agenda. Participants were ordinary citizens drawn from different areas in Harare. See VIDEO 1 HERE, VIDEO 2 HERE AND VIDEO 3 HERE ZIMBABWE WOMEN LAWYERS ASSOCIATION (ZWLA) ENGAGES LOCAL COMMUNITIES ON THE BILL OF RIGHTS • ZWLA convened a community dialogue on 5 June in Chinhoyi at Shackleton on domestic violence. Keys issues discussed included effective modes of communication in conflict situations, and citizen obligations to respect human dignity and the maintenance of peace in all situations. • On 11 June, ZWLA conducted training of community legal educators at Inyati, Bubi District. Participants were drawn from the community who were trained on Constitutional provisions so that they can be a source of information in their communities. The training strengthened the referral pathway for victims and survivors of human rights violations to relevant stakeholders. • On 11 June, ZWLA conducted training of community legal educators at Esigodini, Umzingwane District on The Domestic Violence Act. Key issues that community legal educators were trained on include gender and the law, and management of referrals for survivors of gender-based violence to relevant stakeholders. MEDIA INSTITUTE OF SOUTHERN-AFRICAN (MISA) SPREADS THE WORD ON ACCESS TO INFORMATION • MISA convened a 2-day workshop to engage parliamentary committee on media reforms on 27 and 28 June in Gweru. The workshop was attended by the Zimbabwe Media Commission, Journalists, and members of the Parliamentary portfolio committee on information media and broadcasting services. The workshop was convened to familiarise parliamentarians with the proposed laws meant to replace the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA). See the full report here