II. Recommendations
To the Unity Government of Zimbabwe
•
Promptly investigate and prosecute, in accordance with national law and
international standards, members of the security forces against whom there is
evidence of criminal responsibility for serious abuses including arbitrary arrests,
torture and other ill-treatment;
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Publicly direct commanders of the security forces to ensure all public statements
and actions reflect a commitment to a strictly neutral political role in accordance
with the constitution and international law;
Promptly investigate and take appropriate disciplinary action against officers in the
security forces, regardless of rank, who have violated laws and regulations
prohibiting partisan conduct;
Take necessary measures to ensure that appointments, training and conduct of
members of the security forces, police, Registrar General’s office, and staff of the
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission secretariat conform to the requirements of strict
political neutrality in the discharge of their duties.
Empower the National Security Council to ensure effective parliamentary oversight
through, among other things, disbanding the parallel and informal Joint Operations
Command;
Facilitate unfettered, long-term elections observation by both domestic and
international observers;
Institute urgent electoral reforms including cleaning up and updating the voters’
rolls, ensuring that members of the security forces are able to vote freely with the
secrecy of their vote guaranteed, instituting mechanisms to ensure that state
media is impartial and non-partisan, and repealing or revising laws such as POSA
and AIPPA that infringe basic freedoms; and
Enact legislation to govern the operations of the Central Intelligence Organization
and provide for civilian oversight of its work.
To the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African
Union (AU)
•
Press the unity government of Zimbabwe to urgently take necessary measures to
ensure that the security forces act in a politically neutral manner at all times,
5
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH │ MAY 2013