MONTREAL, Dec. 10 /CNW Telbec/ - Efforts by Zimbabwe's courageous civil
society organizations to address the current cholera epidemic and to end human
rights abuses need the international community's immediate support, say Rights
& Democracy and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, winner of the 2008 John
Humphrey Freedom Award.
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, represented by Executive Director
Irene Petras and fellow lawyer Andrew Makoni, receives the John Humphrey
Freedom Award tonight in Ottawa at ceremony marking International Human Rights
Day.
While the recipients are in Canada, the humanitarian crisis deepens in
Zimbabwe. With the country's government effectively paralyzed by endemic
misrule and protracted negotiations over a new division of power between the
country's main political rivals, civil society organizations are leading
efforts to stem the outbreak of cholera and a looming food crisis that could
affect more than five million Zimbabweans.
These organizations need international assistance immediately. Zimbabwe's
current government has proven repeatedly that it cannot and will not address
these immense humanitarian challenges. Waiting for a resolution to the current
political impasse before sending relief will only cost more lives.
"Humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe must be de-politicized. We cannot
afford a wait-and-see approach to this crisis in the hope that the Zimbabwean
government will get back to work and tackle these problems itself. Civil
society organizations are the only hope for saving those now affected by
cholera and the millions more who face starvation in the coming months," said
Irene Petras.
Meanwhile, civil society representatives continue to be the target of
enforced disappearances. Rights & Democracy joins Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human
Rights in its demand that the recent abductions of Jestina Mukoko, Director of
the Zimbabwe Peace Project, other human rights defenders and officials of the
Movement for Democratic Change be fully investigated, that their perpetrators
be prosecuted and the abducted individuals be immediately released.
International pressure must also be brought to bear on the African Union
and the Southern Africa Development Community as guarantors of Zimbabwe's
September 2008 power-sharing agreement to take immediate action to ensure that
any party that violates the agreement is held to account. All parties must
respect the terms of the agreement, including good governance and respect for
the rule of law and human rights.
"The immediate identification and release of all human rights defenders
and political detainees in state custody should be a top priority of
Zimbabwe's fledgling unity government," said Rémy M. Beauregard, President of
Rights & Democracy (the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic
Development). "The disrespect for the rule of law that encourages these
abductions and protects their perpetrators from justice must be brought to an
end if Zimbabwe is to be taken seriously as a democracy and its leaders deemed
worthy of their office."
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights has played a leading role in the
promotion and protection of human rights across Zimbabwe since its founding in
1996. The organization provides essential services ranging from legal support
for victims of state-endorsed persecution to public education and human rights
training for activists and civil society organizations working at the
community level.
Rights & Democracy established the annual John Humphrey Freedom Award in
1992 in honour of John Peters Humphrey, the McGill University law professor
who prepared the first draft of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
This year's ceremony marks the 60th anniversary of the Declaration and the
20th of Rights & Democracy. The award recognizes an organization or individual
for exceptional commitment to the promotion of human rights and democratic
development. It includes a speaking tour of Canadian cities to increase
awareness of the recipient's work. This year's tour visited Calgary, Toronto,
Halifax, Montreal and finishes today in Ottawa.
Rights & Democracy is a non-partisan, independent Canadian institution
created by an Act of Parliament in 1988 to promote democratic development and
to advocate for and defend human rights set out in the International Bill of
Human Rights. In cooperation with civil society and governments in Canada and
abroad, Rights & Democracy initiates and supports programmes to strengthen
laws and democratic institutions, principally in developing countries.
/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available on
the CNW Photo Network and archived at http://photos.newswire.ca.
Additional archived images are also available on the CNW Photo Archive
website at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited
members of the media/
For further information: Steve Smith, Rights & Democracy, (514)
898-4157
