Amnesty International, an international human rights organisation, has strongly condemned the violent murder of Tinashe Edson Chitsunge, a supporter of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), in Harare, Zimbabwe.
The attack is believed to have been carried out by suspected members of the ZANU PF party in the Glen View South area. Amnesty International has called on the Zimbabwean government to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into Chitsunge’s death, bring the perpetrators to justice, and take preventive measures to avoid similar incidents in the future.
The organisation also urged the authorities to ensure access to justice and effective remedies for Chitsunge’s family. Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Southern Africa, Khanyo Farisè, expressed concern over the deteriorating human rights environment in Zimbabwe ahead of the upcoming general elections. Farisè said:
We call on Zimbabwe’s authorities to promptly launch a thorough, independent, impartial, transparent, and effective investigation into Tinashe Chitsunge’s death and ensure that suspected perpetrators are brought to justice. Authorities must ensure access to justice and effective remedies for Tinashe Chitsunge and his family.
Authorities must take all necessary steps to prevent acts of politically motivated violence and refrain from issuing inflammatory statements that could incite similar attacks or deter people from freely exercising their human rights and expressing support to political parties of their choice.
The fatal attack on Chitsunge, a CCC activist, paints a grim picture of the human rights environment in Zimbabwe ahead of general elections scheduled for 23 August 2023.
Such callous acts of violence, which have repeatedly marred Zimbabwe’s political landscape, gravely threaten the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.
Authorities must ensure a peaceful environment before, during and after the elections by fully respecting, protecting, promoting, and fulfilling the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, association and expression.
The Election Resource Centre (ERC) also condemned the violence and called for a swift investigation by relevant authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice and prevent further incidents of election-related violence. ERC said in a statement said:
The right to life is sacrosanct and nobody has the right to take it away. Freedom of association and assembly are fundamental rights for anyone in Zimbabwe. The right to own private property is guaranteed in the Constitution and acts of arson as reported in Shurugwi must be condemned.
With eighteen (18) days to the polls, as ERC, we urge a prompt and thorough investigation by the Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, that will bring to justice the perpetrators of these acts of violence.
The ERC calls on political leaders to prevent and address political violence, disciplining their members and eliminating intimidation to preserve election integrity. They urge an immediate cessation of escalating election-related violence, incitement, and hate speech. The ERC emphasises the need for a peaceful environment that upholds democratic principles and allows citizens to freely exercise their rights. They urge relevant authorities to conduct thorough investigations, hold perpetrators accountable, and contribute to a safe atmosphere for the upcoming elections.