"Zimbabwe Govt Bears Responsibility To Ensure Safety Of Its Citizens" - USA
The United States Embassy in Harare and leading human rights groups including Amnesty International have called upon the Zimbabwe government to ensure the safety of citizens ahead of the MDC planned demonstrations.
The MDC slated a series of demonstrations starting on the 16th of August. Meanwhile, the police have issued them with a prohibition notice.
A hours before the demonstrations, there were reports of abductions and torture of MDC members and some leaders of civil society organisations. Therefore, it is assumed that the abductions are meant to scare the opposition from holding the demonstrations.
Speaking ahead of the intended demonstrations, the US Embassy said that citizens’ safety was the government’s responsibility. In a statement, the embassy said:
The government of Zimbabwe bears the responsibility to ensure the safety of its citizens under its constitution.
We welcome the Zimbabwean government’s commitment to investigate these crimes and to bring those responsible to justice.
Amnesty International castigated the abductions saying that the authorities should desist from targeting dissent and aim to address the economy which is giving citizens a hard time.
These sentiments were shared by rights group Freedom House which in a statement urged the Zimbabwe government to respect its constitution and international law.
More: Washington Times
