A group of Zimbabweans based in the UK will this Wednesday hand over a petition to United Kingdom Prime Minister to pressure the Zimbabwean government to end the murder, abduction and torture of opposition activists.
Organised by various pressure groups for Zimbabweans in Diaspora, the petition will focus on, among other things, the current political developments in Zimbabwe.
In the past months, following Zimbabwe’s discredited election on August 23 and 24 this year, dozens of activists and supporters of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), have either been abducted, tortured or assaulted, with one of the latest incident being the abduction and murder of Shepherd Masaya, an activist who was campaigning for the CCC in Mabvuku.
Between August and November, the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum has recorded over 300 cases of human rights violations targeting mostly opposition activists, with the major perpetrators being the police, Zanu PF activists and members of the shadowy Forever Associates of Zimbabwe (FAZ).
One of the activists who are to participate in the petitioning, Simbarashe Jingo, who is exiled in the UK, said the situation in Zimbabwe deserves the attention of the whole world.
“We continue to witness human rights violations, and the closure of democratic space where those that dare to speak out against the excesses of the government face victimisation. Clearly, this warrants the attention of not just the UK, but all other nations and the United Nations in particular because if the situation is left to continue as it is, our compatriots will continue to die, and lose their voice.”
“As if the human rights violations are not enough, the Zimbabwean government is continuing to subject Zimbabweans to poverty as the economy continues to dwindle at a time when the political elite are enjoying the proceeds from the corrupt embezzlement of mineral resources.
It is estimated that hundreds of Zimbabweans have fled the country due to the worsening political and economic environment,” he said.
