Zimbabwe has rejected a call from United Nations experts to release several activists who have been arrested and detained by authorities in recent weeks.
On Thursday, August 15, the UN experts, including Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, urged Zimbabwean authorities to take action to free the human rights defenders currently in custody.
In response, Zimbabwean Government Spokesperson Ndavaningi Mangwana stated on X (formerly Twitter) that Zimbabwe is a sovereign nation and will not tolerate any interference in its internal affairs. Said Mangwana:
No country’s sovereignty can be compromised! The rule of law must be upheld within each nation’s borders. Even the [United Nations Human Rights Council] cannot interfere with the implementation of a country’s laws. Respect for sovereignty is paramount!
Among those arrested by Zimbabwean authorities in recent weeks are woman human rights defender Namatai Kwekweza, teacher and labour rights defender Robson Chere, the Secretary-General of Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ), and local councillor for Harare Ward 5, Samuel Gwenzi.
The nature of the arrests has drawn widespread condemnation as the activists were forcibly removed from a departing flight at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport on 31 July 2024. Said the UN experts:
Unidentified men escorted the three to a high-security zone within the airport and held them incommunicado for eight hours.
During this time, the three were reportedly subjected to enforced disappearance, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including waterboarding.
Additionally, they were severely threatened against protesting in advance of or during the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit scheduled for 17 to 19 August 2024 in Harare…
At around 9 PM on 31 July 2024, the human rights defenders were handed over to the Zimbabwe Republic Police at Harare Central Police Station, when they were informed, for the first time, that they were facing charges of “disorderly conduct” under section 41 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act.
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