Civic society lament rights violations in SADC  

Several NGO's attending the 50th session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights being held in Banjul, The Gambia, have bemoaned continued human rights violations in southern Africa.

In statements presented to the Commission on 25 October 2011 highlighting the general human rights situation in the region, a number of NGO’s working in the SADC region lamented the ongoing violations of freedom of expression, assembly and association in countries such as Malawi, Swaziland, Lesotho and Zimbabwe.

In a statement presented on behalf of the Southern Africa Litigation Centre [SALC] by Tawanda Zhuwarara of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, SALC condemned the brutal assaults and killing of citizens and journalists by the police that occurred in Malawi during the July 20-21 protests.

 “….President Mutharika …. has violated the right to life by killing innocent unarmed civilians. He has suppressed the citizens’ right to assemble and demonstrate with others peacefully. By silencing journalists, human rights activists and university lecturers, he has violated freedom of expression and media freedom, the right to freedom of thought, belief, opinion and academic freedom,” said Zhuwarara.

Zhuwarara also condemned the suspension of the SADC Tribunal in May this year saying this is a violation of the rights of SADC citizens to access justice and effective remedies. He  also expressed concern with the undermining of judicial independence in Swaziland characterised by the removal from office of high court judge, Justice Thomas Masuku by King Mswati III based on unsubstantiated allegations.

Concern over these violations was also echoed by the Human Rights Institute of Southern Africa [HURISA] and the Open Society Institute of Southern Africa [OSISA] in their statements presented before the Commission on 25 October 2011. The organisations urged the Commission through its various mechanisms, to investigate the crisis in Swaziland, undertake a fact finding mission to Malawi on the violation of a number of fundamental human rights of its citizens.

They also called upon the Commission  to reaffirm its commitment to the promotion and protection of the human rights of persons with disabilities by appointing a Special Rapporteur on Disability. //End//

Reagan Malumo
Programme Specialist: Media Freedom Monitoring and Research
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Regional Secretariat
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Namibia
Phone: +264 61 232 975
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Official Email: reagan(@)misa.org
Private Email: reagan32002(@)yahoo.com

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