ON THE INTERNATIONAL Day of Democracy, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) calls upon the government, the private sector, civic society and the public to foster democratic governance and empower people.
The commemoration of International Day of Democracy, held annually on 15 September, presents an opportunity to review the state of democracy worldwide, promote and uphold its principles, and reinforce that it is a universal value based on the freely expressed will of the people.
Linked to the rule of law and respect for human rights, democracy is considered the bedrock of resilient, inclusive, and peaceful societies. It underwrites good governance, freedom, dignity, development, peace, and equality.
When democracy, a fundamental element for a safe and peaceful society, is absent, there are unimaginable and incomprehensible challenges.
As the world commemorates the International Day of Democracy, ZLHR is cognisant of the myriad threats that democracy faces worldwide. These threats include war, conflict, hunger, climate change, inequality, discrimination, disenfranchisement, closed civic space, repressed liberties, and disinformation.
In 2024, the theme for the International Day of Democracy is “Ensuring effective governance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) at all levels,” which focuses on AI’s essential role as a tool for good governance.
This quest for a digitised and connected society presents opportunities and risks for governance systems; hence, society needs to harness the power of AI to strengthen good governance and democracy.
While progressive democracies are exploring ways of harnessing the power of AI to strengthen good governance and democracy, in Zimbabwe, there is an explosion of disinformation and misinformation, deliberately aimed at disrupting democratic processes in the country.
State and non-state actors have outwitted each other in undermining democracy, and this is glaringly manifest in the erosion of people’s rights and freedoms punctuated by the frightening and pervasive practice of abduction and torture of people.
ZLHR is alarmed at the increasing pattern of human rights abuses, which continue to be perpetrated on people with unbridled impunity. So terrifying to ZLHR is the atmosphere of fear, which is being instilled among people, particularly those perceived to be anti-government, and on the eve of the hosting of the SADC summit in Harare, at least 180 human rights defenders, opposition political party leaders, legislators and ordinary citizens being arrested and subjected to pre-trial detention.
Equally disconcerting is the government’s obstinacy in pressing ahead with the enactment of repressive legislation such as the Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) Amendment Bill. This obnoxious bill has the net effect of severely restricting civic space and the right to freedom of association in Zimbabwe.
The wanton violation of human rights and unadorned undermining of democracy and good governance is incompatible with the freedoms and rights guaranteed in the Constitution and the government’s obligations under regional and international human rights norms and standards enshrining the prohibition of these heinous crimes.
ZLHR is also concerned that there has been general regression in democracy and political governance, although the government of Zimbabwe joined the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in 2020. The APRM is an instrument established in 2003 by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee for African Union (AU) member states to self-monitor their governance performance voluntarily. This mechanism enables AU members to assess and review their governance at the head-of-state peer level to promote political stability, accelerated sub-regional and continental economic integration, economic growth and sustainable development. By joining the APRM, states commit to independently reviewing their compliance with various governance commitments. One of the four thematic areas to measure progress is – democracy and political governance.
To ensure effective good governance and democracy, ZLHR calls upon the government to;
- Harness the progressive power of AI to strengthen good governance and democracy;
- Adopt and implement measures to ensure that human rights defenders can carry out their peaceful and legitimate work in a safe and enabling environment and provide effective remedies for human rights violations;
- Discard and discontinue enactment of undemocratic and retrogressive pieces of legislation, such as the Private Voluntary Organisations Amendment Bill, which has the net effect of restricting civic space;
- Prohibit and criminalise torture, abductions and enforced disappearances and ratify the United Nations Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances;
- Have the political will to fully comply with its APRM governance commitments, including democracy and political governance;
- Cease and desist, even contemplating introducing any further amendments to the Constitution, but instead fully implement the provisions in the supreme law.
ENDS
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
Kodzero/Amalungelo House
No. 103 Sam Nujoma Street, Harare, Zimbabwe
Phone: (+263 8677005347, +263 242 764085/705370/708118
Email: info@zlhr.org
www.zlhr.org.zw
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