ROHR Liverpool Vigil. Saturday 4th September from 2 – 5 pm. Venue: Church Street (Outside Primark), Liverpool City Centre. For details please contact: Anywhere Mungoyo 07939913688, Trywell Migeri 07956083758, Panyika Karimanzira 07551062161. 

ROHR Harlow general meeting. Saturday 4^th September from 2 – 6 pm. Venue: St James and St Lukes Church, Perry Road, Harlow CM18 7NP. Contact: Clement  07879123783, Bothwell 07725208657, llyod  07883695970, Paradzai Mapfumo  07915926323.

ROHR Woking general meeting. Saturday 4^th September from 2 – 5 pm. Venue: Ravens Wood Court, Hillview Road, Woking GU22 7NR. Contact: Isaac Mudzamiri 07774044873, Sithokozile Hlokana 07886203113 or P Mapfumo on 07915926323 / 07932216070.

ROHR Bournemouth general meeting. Saturday 4^th September from 2 – 6 pm. Venue: East Cliff United Reformed Church opposite ASDA Store, Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth BH8 8AW. Contact Sekai Mujeyi 07772211220, Sledge Bova 07788850146, Tarisai  Mashawi 07843614091, A Nzimba 07780831455 or P Mapfumo 07915926323/07932216070.

ROHR Manchester general meeting. Saturday 11^th September from 2 – 5 pm. Venue: The Salvation Army Citadel, 71 Grosvenor Road, Manchester, M13 9UB. ROHR Founder, National Chairperson and executive members present. Contact Fenny Nyatsanza 07886310005, P A Karimanzira 07538534375, Charter Madzivanyika 07747141835 or A Mungoyo on 07939913688

ROHR Derby general meeting. Saturday 18^th September 2010 from 2 – 5.30 pm. Venue: St Augustines Church, Upper Dale Road, Derby DE23 8BP. Let's all come and hear the current issues about rights abuses and share how we can tackle them. ROHR National Executive present so those with questions here is your chance. Contact Tsitsi Razawe 07773649330, Wonder Katurura 07858699224, P Chibanguza 07908406069 or P Mapfumo 07915926323/07932216070

ROHR Stoke-on-Trent general meeting. Saturday 18^th September from 2 – 6 pm. Venue: Christ Church, Tunstall High Street, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 5XG. All invited ROHR executive members present so please come on time for us to have enough time for question and answer session. for info contact David R Mugwira 07833943494, Maxwell Dube 07533349840, Pauline Mtema 07850462301, Faith Pemba 07780594852, P Chibanguza 07908406069/07534626040 or P Mapfumo on 07915926323/07932216070. 

ROHR Yorkshire general meeting. Saturday 18^th September 2010 from 2 – 5 pm. Venue: Dock Green Inn, Ashley  Rd , Leeds LS9 7AB. You are all invited. Contact: Chinofunga Ndoga 07877993826, Prosper Mudamvanji 07897594874,  Wonder Mubaiwa 07958758568,Donna Mugoni 07748828913 or R Chifungo 07795070609.

ROHR Coventry general meeting. Saturday 25^th September 2010 from 1 – 5 pm. Venue: 90a Paynes Lane, Coventry CV1 5JH. ROHR National Executive and a well known lawyer present. Contact V.J Mujeye 07534034594, Matambanashe Sibanda 07886660392, Pauline Makuwere 07575265710, P. Mapfumo 07932216070/07915926323 or P Chibanguza 07908406069.

From ROHR Zimbabwe Information Department

Tuesday 31 August marks the official launch of a historic peace building initiative to be spearheaded by four civil society organizations, Centre for Community Development in Zimbabwe (CCDZ), Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP), Victims Action Committee (VAC) and Restoration of Human Rights  Zimbabwe (ROHR) under the banner “YOU AND I CAN MAKE PEACE HAPPEN’’. The drive behind the project is to promote peace, tolerance and national healing among Zimbabweans during the critical time of transformation.

The launch is expected to be graced by various stakeholders among them government officials, members of the diplomatic core, private sector, media, lawyers, members from the various political parties. Prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai is expected to officially signal the rolling of the initiative. Peace building is part of the critical impetus upon which the transition is premised to succeed as the country is making efforts to transform from past legacies of instability and build a bridge into a vision of a democratic society.

The initiative coincides with the African Union’s (AU) recognition for the need of peace among the human family and the subsequent declaration of 2010 as the year of peace and security in Africa. Taking into context the country’s trajectory, the project seeks to encourage the nation to assume deliberate responsibility upon every individual to ensure the observance and sustenance of peace and also among other things:

• Raise awareness on peace building and national healing
• Build skills and capacities among civil society leaders, community members on peace building, national healing and conflict management.
• Broker relationships among key actors on peace building.

Meanwhile ROHR Zimbabwe celebrates its third anniversary on the night of the peace building launch after propelled into existence by the need to see a peaceful, just and free nation that is conscious of and respects human rights. The organization continues to grow under the guided values of peace, justice and freedom. 

For Peace, Justice and Freedom

From ROHR Zimbabwe Information Department

Every nation on earth has emerged from conflict, war, oppression or a past legacy of injustice against its people or exploitation of its resources at one point in time. The historical unfolding of developments and effort to undo injustice in quest for freedom inevitably has given birth to the discourse of national historical ethos. At the heart of every country’s rare achievements are the drivers or champions who chose to step out of the comfort zone, deny themselves for a cause whose reward was insurmountable at a personal level. The quest for peace and equality among the human family is one of the finest achievements to inspire recognition.

Thirty years after overpowering the oppressive colonialist regime of the British rule under Ian Smith, Zimbabweans from all walks of life honor the legacy of the liberation war heroes and heroines who rose against the tide, exchanged sweat and blood to lay a foundation upon which Zimbabwe was birthed. A scrutiny of those who sacrificed their lives reveals that above all they were united and driven by the desire to see Zimbabweans freed from oppression.

We are all indebted to these gallant sons and daughters through their sacrificial blood and sweat – who chartered the struggle for attainment of self rule, equal distribution of resources, land being the prime heritage, realization of human rights and people’s freedoms.

As a nation we should find a common place of unity in the priceless achievement that was scored by the patriotic liberation legends particularly during this troubled time of transition under the coalition government. It is regrettable that the three principles in the GPA have failed to establish a common place that outweighs their differences to cement a strong practical tangible doctrine of unity. We have two paradoxical camps of two extremes. Sadly because of the hostility between the two, Zimbabweans are divided along partisan lines. The mistrust, tension and hostility existing between the MDC and ZANU Pf is a life time bomb that can ignite every time a cigarette is lit. The worst highlight was that of 2008 in which the bloody elections turned into a green-eyed monster scoffing the meat it feeds on.

Sweat and blood of the gallant sons which brought about freedom from discrimination and inequality is now being wasted in vain as was feared by Dr Edison Zvobgo. 'We need to constantly check if we are still heading north as our compass had always instructed, if we check our compass and it indicates that we are now heading south, we would have betrayed the blood and souls split during the war. The blood of the sons and daughters would have spilt in vain.’  Instead of furthering the work of the liberation struggle two camps have emerged. One purports to be ignorant of the historical past and the other realizing the blunder of the latter purports to guard the historical achievements. Proverbially two generations at war with each other instead of working together. 

The sad truth of the apathy of our generation is that some individuals and their political parties, out of lack of understanding historical national discourse, have not only voluntarily been relegated from ownership of the liberation struggle but have been given the identity of the former oppressors. This acceptance of grandiose propagandist lies has given leverage for the perpetuation of a generational lie that has distorted the significance of our liberation war legacy. Alas heinous crimes against humanity have been carried out in the name of defending war gains and defending the cliché of sovereignty.

Sadly in the guise of guarding the gains of the hard won liberation struggle, what was achieved has been fiercely reversed to unimaginable proportions worse by those who even claim to have done more than others. Freedom of expression, assembly and association has been withdrawn at the behest of protecting the stranglehold of power for one regime. The right to chose leaders has been hugely contested and rendered insurmountable in the face of growing violence, intimidation and political persecution.

Cognizant of the rights that become accessible after the war of liberation, it is regrettable that a case of new wine in old bottles has become the prevailing case of the day. The justification making rounds for the persecution of people of the same nationality whether true or false do not warrant the violation of rights of innocent man, women and children who get caught up in the jinx of great power politics. Politics or no politics, human rights are universal, inalienable and non conditional.

ROHR Zimbabwe joins the entire nation in celebrating the legacy of our liberation war heroes. We acknowledge that our endeavors in campaigning for people’s real freedoms and a culture of human rights would not be possible without the sacrifice of those who were at the forefront to overpower the colonial regime. We continue to draw inspiration from the dedication, patriotrism, consistence, selfless commitment, unyielding belief and clarity of purpose that defined the status of our long gone heroes and heroines of the liberation struggle.

The post independence generation has a role to play in not only preserving the gains but also in continuing with the noble fight of seeing Zimbabweans set free from oppressive systems of governance. Our heroes and heroines fought for generational sovereignty, the universal individual right for the Zimbabwean child to vote without persecution. As in the vision and drive of the late icon, General Josiah Magama Tongogara, “Our demand is just and legitimate. We demand a free and fair election where international observers will oversee."  (1978).

Understanding that the fight for a democratic society is a long protracted struggle, we encourage Zimbabweans from all works of life to honor the new generation heroes. Some have paid the debt of fighting s good fight with their lives and others continue to be birth as they achieve extraordinary feats for our beloved country Zimbabwe.

For Peace, Justice and Freedom

The historic outreach constitution consultation process began across the country’s provinces a few weeks ago. It marks the first crucial first step of gathering people’s inputs on the various thematic areas set by the COPAC team towards the shaping of the supreme law in the land. What makes the entire process special is the fact that it’s the first time that the people of Zimbabwe have been accorded a chance to write a home grown constitution since attaining independence in 1980. After attaining independence the country adopted the unsatisfactory Lancaster house constitution which has been further doctored a record nineteen times to curtail peoples freedoms as the price to strengthen the strangle hold on power for the more than three decades old regime of ZANU.

It is with great regret that ROHR Zimbabwe has learnt that the constitution outreach process has been met with severe disturbances threatening the credibility of the outcome of the process. Reports of systematic intimidation campaigns, organized violence and life threats are the order of the day. Innocent families have fallen victim to the terror campaigns amidst recorded reports of people who have fled their homes after receiving threats of violence. Reliable information and reports received by ROHR Zimbabwe point to the fact that party supporters of the ZANU PF party and their youth militia have hijacked the process to coerce people to endorse their narrow partisan stance culminated in the form of the infamous Kariba draft constitution.

What is more perplexing is the disgusting revelation that even the state agents and uniformed forces are implicated in the disturbances. Their underground dealings have given birth to systematic hugely sponsored campaigns to sway the peoples free will. Operations such as Tisu tintaura We are the ones mandated to speak and operation Vhara muromo Close your mouth have been deliberately hatched with the sole aim of scattering the progress of the COPAC exercise by barring certain sections of the society from exercising their legitimate rights because of their political affiliation.

ROHR Zimbabwe notes with growing agitation the spiraling reports of violence and intimidation surrounding the outreach constitution process. We reiterate that the unfolding evidence strongly vindicates the existence of the infrastructure, system and mechanisms of violence responsible for the 2008 terror campaign which claimed more than 200 innocent lives.

We further note that despite the coming into existence of the coalition government to promote unity, it is of concern that every national event which translates into people in putting their views ends up in a serious catastrophe violating the rights of the very people who are supposed to be the ultimate beneficiaries. We hold that the making of the constitution is an interest cross cutting agenda that should benefit all Zimbabweans and future generation to come regardless of political affiliation.

We do not condone the violation of people’s right to freedom of expression, assembly and association. It is no secret that the current constitution is undemocratic. Draconian legislation like POSA and AIPPA have resulted in a hugely defective constitution bent towards maintaining an oppressive system in power at the expense of the people. It is therefore only acceptable that people should be denied their rights to speak freely against a past legacy of authoritarianism by defining a new law that is in conformity with international human rights law governing the rights of the human family as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

ROHR Zimbabwe is against the manipulation of national events by political parties especially for sinister outcomes infringing on peoples rights as exhibited in the current disturbances besieging the COPAC exercise. Not to mention that it sends discarded signals to the international community during this time of transformation towards an ideal democratic society.

We strongly denounce the mindset of propaganda by some political parties of trying to hoodwink the entire nation holding people at ransom by masquerading as the sole liberator of the people from colonial rule. Placed in the right context, the liberation struggle was a lifetime achievement which united all Zimbabweans from different political divides. The selfless sweat and sacrificial blood of the sons and daughters who gallantly responded to national duty at the appropriate time ensured the extraordinary momentous feat of destiny. For too state institutions particularly the security forces and the media have been illicitly politicized and monopolized along partisan lines.

The coalition government stands reminded that human rights are not selective gifts bestowed upon the people at the pleasure of politicians or governments but that they are God given, universal, indivisible and inherited upon birth for the human family.

For Peace, Justice and Freedom

A member of the MDC party was ambushed and assaulted during the first week of July 2010 by a mob of ZANU PF youth militia in Muzarabani.

Mr. Kagura was heavily assaulted by a gang of more than eleven men armed with logs. He sustained life threatening head injuries, twisted wrist joints and limbs. Kagura told ROHR Zimbabwe that he only managed to flee when he fired a gun shot from his firearm forcing the marauding mob to disperse.

The   MDC activist, had visited Keba Madya,a member of the ZANU PF party at his home to inquire about a debt owed to him. Madya is said to have insisted on getting witnesses from his political party members since he was under pressure from his party structures for allegedly mixing with pro MDC people.

After spending the entire night in the bush wounded, Kagura was arrested by Muzarabani police. He spent five days and nights in police custody. Despite the fact that he had lost so much blood from a gushing wound on the head, he was denied medical attention by the police.

Kagura told ROHR Zimbabwe that his attempts to demand treatment ended in him being told that his was a special case and that they needed to get permission from their superiors on how he should be treated.

Kagura is agitated by the police behavior which he described as discriminating against those deemed enemies of certain political parties. He further claims that the judiciary procedure presided by judge Chakanyuka was fast-tracked to a predetermined outcome in favor of the aggressors. The judge did not bother to check for a medical report to establish the nature of the injuries sustained by Kagura. Ironically the assailants were vindicated for their act and the victim was slapped with a harsher penalty of imprisonment.

As ROHR Zimbabwe we remain concerned by the role being played by some members of the police force and judiciary in failing to execute their duties professionally to maintain objectivity, fairness, transparency and independence. It is regrettable that institutions of the state remain unreformed and biased at the backdrop of the critical time of transformation to a democratic society. The Global Political Agreement stresses that there should be equal treatment of all people regardless of political affiliation. It is incumbent upon the law enforcement agents to uphold the provisions of the GPA to ensure that human rights are not violated at the whim of political extremism.

Articles 9 and 10 of the Universal declaration of Human Rights (1948) states that ‘no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile” ‘’everyone charged with a crime is entitled equally to fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal.”

For Peace, Justice and Freedom