VII. Recommendations
To the Transitional, Power-Sharing Government of Zimbabwe
•
Undertake an independently managed program of police and judicial reform with
clear timelines and ensure that Zimbabwean civil society enjoys significant and
meaningful participation in the process.
•
Place control of the police under new, non-partisan and professional leadership,
accountable to an independent supervisory board. Ensure that police work is
consistent with the United Nations Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials
and other recognized international principles.
•
Ensure full accountability, including prosecutions, for the perpetrators of serious
human rights violations, regardless of position or rank, and press for appropriate
remedies for victims of abuses.
•
Urgently repeal or amend all national legislation that is incompatible with
international and regional human rights law and standards, including the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human
and Peoples’ Rights. Statutes to be repealed or amended should include:
o
o
o
o
o
The Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act(CLA);
The Public Order and Security Act (POSA);
The Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA);
The Broadcasting Services Act (BSA); and
The Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act (CPEA), particularly section 121,
concerning the revocation of court-ordered bail.
•
Ensure that new legislation is compatible with Zimbabwe’s international obligations
to respect the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association.
•
Ensure that ZANU-PF immediately demobilizes and disarms its youth militia and war
veterans groups who are responsible for abuses, and prosecute those members who
have perpetrated serious human rights abuses.
•
Take all necessary measures to end impunity. Set up an independent commission of
inquiry, with credible civil society panel members, to investigate serious past human
rights violations, including those committed during the 2008 election period and in
the Marange diamond fields.
19
Human Rights Watch | August 2009
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