Ahead of the 44th Ordinary Summit of Heads State and Government of the Southern African Development community in Zimbabwe on August 17, the government is systematically clamping down on dissent. In an attempt to silence critical voices and dissuade potential protests, the police and security forces have arbitrarily arrested over 160 activists, political party members, student union activists, and civil society members on charges relating to disorderly conduct, criminal nuisance, and plotting to incite protests. Some of those arrested were severely tortured and sustained injuries that required hospitalization.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: December 10, 2024
take action:
- Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
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contact information:
President of the Republic of Zimbabwe
His Excellency Emmerson Mnangagwa
Office of the President
Munhumutapa Building, Samora Machel Avenue,
Private Bag 7700
Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe
Email: [email protected]
*Note: Emails to this target are blocked, so please direct your emails to the embassy
Embassy of Zimbabwe in the United States
His Excellency Ambassador Tadeous T. Chifamba
1608 New Hampshire Avenue, NW,
Washington DC 20009
Email: [email protected]
Salutation: Dear Ambassador
sample letter:
His Excellency, or Dear Ambassador,
I am writing to express my grave concerns regarding the worrying trend of suppression of civic space; arrests of opposition members, human rights defenders, and activists; and threats against dissenting views in Zimbabwe ahead of the 44th Ordinary Summit of Heads State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), scheduled to take place on August 17 in Harare, Zimbabwe. This crackdown includes the arbitrary detention of approximately 160 people, comprising of members of the opposition, activists and human rights defenders, some of whom have allegedly been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment.
On July 31, activists including Namatai Kwekweza, Robson Chere, Samuel Gwezi, and Vusumuzi Moyo were forcibly removed from a plane and arrested by state agents. The four were held for eight hours without access to their lawyer and have been denied bail. Robson Chere was tortured in detention, and his extensive injuries from the torture puts him at risk of kidney failure and death if he does not receive adequate medical care. Â Â
I urge you and your government to ensure the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained for exercising their rights in the recent crackdown on civic space and drop all charges against them as they are detained solely for the peaceful exercise of their human rights. I also strongly urge you to ensure Robson Chere, pending his release, is granted urgent medical attention; and ensure an effective investigation into his torture.
Yours sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
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