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| National |
| Report shows Sadc abusing human rights |
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by
Aubrey Mchulu, 26 June 2003
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18:25:07
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Worldwide human rights watchdog Amnesty International (AI) 2003 report has revealed serious politically-based human rights abuses in Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc) countries, including Malawi, as well as developed democracies of the United Kingdom and United States of America.
In its 311-page report covering 151 countries, AI observes that in general terms draconian measures by both democratic and autocratic governments to intrude into people’s lives, to detain suspects without trial and to deport people with no regard to their fate, weakened respect for international law.
AI secretary general Irene Khan said in her message under the theme ‘Security for whom?: A human rights response’ that real security will remain illusory, especially for the poor, so long as police, courts and state institutions in many countries remain corrupt.
Khan also notes that new resources are being directed to security police and “counter-terrorism” agencies while the United Nations’ human rights machinery has been “grossly underfunded” for years.
“A more secure world demands a paradigm shift in the concept of security, a shift that recognises that insecurity and violence are best tackled by effective, accountable states which uphold, not violate, human rights,” she said.
In its assessment of Malawi, AI says political tensions increased ahead of the 2004 general elections and that police failed to investigate several instances of political violence perpetrated by the ruling UDF supporters against the opposition.
AI also reported state repression of freedom of expression and assembly escalated in Malawi.
“In response to continuing public protest, President Bakili Muluzi issued a directive in May [2002] which banned all public demonstrations for or against a third term of office,” observed AI, adding that the directive was later reversed by the High Court as unconstitutional and an infringement on freedom of assembly and association.
In Malawi’s neighbour, Mozambique, AI said human rights violations by the police include torture, ill-treatment of at least two civilians and extrajudicial executions were reported and recorded.
AI also observed that efforts to improve the Mozambican police’s professionalism were undermined by continued failure of authorities to bring perpetrators of human rights violations to justice.
On Namibia, another Sadc member state, AI said human rights violations in the past year included arbitrary arrest and torture by police officers while security forces were also responsible for extrajudicial executions in the Caprivi Region of civilians suspected to have been collaborating with the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (Unita).
Deaths in custody in suspicious circumstances, torture and excessive use of force by police; resurgence of political violence which led to deaths and injuries and levels of reported rape of women and girls remained high in South Africa but, according to AI, “only few of those responsible were brought to justice”.
In Tanzania, AI reported that prison conditions were harsh such that in one incident, 17 inmates died in custody while 100 death sentences were commuted although the courts continue to pass death sentences.
Tanzanian authorities also blocked two demonstration in 2002 with police shooting at, beating and arresting demonstrators. Five were also charged with sedition “for expressing their opinions”.
Zambia experienced increasing “widespread human rights violations” by the police and persistent state harassment and intimidation of those perceived to be critical of the government, including independent journalists, according to AI.
Zimbabwe’s rights violations included at least 58 political killings and widespread torture and ill-treatment throughout the country.
Mature democracies of the UK and USA were not spared either.
According to the AI report, serious human rights violations took place in the context of the United Kingdom’s authorities’ response to the September 11, 2001 attacks in the USA and that detention conditions in some facilities were inhuman and degrading.
“Many of those detained under ‘anti-terrorism’ legislation or on the basis of extradition warrants were held in inhuman or degrading conditions in high security prisons,” observes the report.
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