ATTACK ON LAWYERS   Operating Environment of the Legal Profession in 2003 The year 2003 was a difficult one for lawyers in Zimbabwe. In the worsening human rights climate, tremendous demands were made on human rights lawyers. There were so many arrests of human rights defenders that human rights lawyers were called upon to attend to. Every time there was any kind of mass protest, human rights lawyers were called out. There were mass protests by the NCA, WOZA, the ZCTU, and other civic movements. On each occasion, great numbers of people were arrested, and human rights lawyers found themselves stretched to provide adequate service to all the people who were arrested. Some of our lawyers burnt out this year. Many of our members have exhibited amazing degrees of commitment and dedication. Names such as Kucaca Phulu, Perpetua Dube, Beatrice Mtetwa, Jacob Mafume, Alec Muchadehama, Trust Maanda, Andrew Makoni, Irene Petras, Otto Saki and Lawrence Chibwe have become well known to the public and the police, as champions of human rights and defenders of the downtrodden. To see full documentation please download the PDF   home l about ZLHR l programmes l legislative watch l bulletin l resources l calendar l news & media l press releases l current cases l violence & torture l l attack on lawyers l circulars l contact l   Evictions and Demolitions 09 June 2005: ZLHR petitions the African Commission. See letter to the African Commission Special Rapportuer on Torture and Other forms of Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment crimes. Evictions and Demolitions 09 June 2005: ZLHR petitions the African Commission. See letter to the African Commission Special Rapportuer on Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Internally Displaced Persons Zim Election 2005: Between January and March 18 2005, official reports from the Zimbabwean police have confirmed that 224 people have been arrested in 71 cases of political crimes. Zim Election 2005: Concerns have been raised in the way the polling stations have been allocated and distributed between the rural constituencies and the urban constituencies Between January 2003 and September 2003 ZLHR recorded a total of 367 human rights defenders as having been arrested and 161 of them charged under POSA in Zimbabwe   Between January 2003 and September 2003 a total of 30 journalists have been arrested and charged under AIPPA.   Between January 2003 and October 2003 ZLHR has recorded a total number of 383 arrests of hrds under the MOA, more than 200 of them in September and October 2003 alone.   On 16 May 2003 journalist Andrew Meldrum was deported from Zimbabwe despite the fact there was an explicit court order directing the State not to deport him.