A/HRC/23/51 - Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights

Date
Type
21/02/2013
JAL
22/02/2013
JUA
Case No
Country Mandate(s) Summary <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> allegation transmitted Reply
ZWE 1/2013
Zimbabwe
SDN 2/2013
Sudan
Freedom <strong>of</strong>
expression; Freedom
<strong>of</strong> peaceful assembly
and <strong>of</strong> association;
Human rights
defenders; Violence
against women;
Freedom <strong>of</strong>
expression;
Summary executions;
Torture;
Allegations <strong>of</strong> repeated acts <strong>of</strong> harassments against civil society actors,
mostly working on human rights issues. According to <strong>the</strong> information
received, on 11 February 2013, police <strong>of</strong>ficers searched <strong>the</strong> <strong>of</strong>fices <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) in Harare on <strong>the</strong> grounds that ZPP allegedly
had subversive material, documents, gadgets or recordings and had
contravened <strong>the</strong> Immigration Act. On 19 February 2013, police <strong>of</strong>ficers
searched <strong>the</strong> Harare <strong>of</strong>fices <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Zimbabwe Election Support Network
(ZESN), which has been suspected <strong>of</strong> having committed <strong>the</strong> same <strong>of</strong>fense as
<strong>the</strong> ZPP. On <strong>the</strong> same day, ZESN <strong>of</strong>fices in Masvingo were burglarised by
unidentified men. It is reported that <strong>the</strong>se incidents follow a series <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r
searches and acts <strong>of</strong> harassments against non-governmental organizations
and <strong>the</strong>ir members. On 14 February 2013, nine members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Women <strong>of</strong>
Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), who were taking part in a peaceful protest
outside Parliament building in Harare, were reportedly assaulted and
arrested by police forces. Most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m were released without any charge a
few hours after <strong>the</strong>ir arrests. It is alleged that <strong>the</strong>se measures form part <strong>of</strong> a
continuing campaign aimed at intimidating and silencing associations, in <strong>the</strong>
context <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> forthcoming referendum and elections in Zimbabwe.
Alleged imposition <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> death penalty on a community activist. According
to <strong>the</strong> information received, in 2009, Mr. Bakri Moussa Mohammed, a
community activist in <strong>the</strong> Kalma camp for displaced people in South Darfur
was arrested. Moreover, Mr. Moussa Mohammed was sentenced in 2010 to
10 years <strong>of</strong> imprisonment for alleged participation in a murder, in retaliation
for his activism. On 31 December 2012, an <strong>of</strong>ficer <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Kober prison in
Khartoum informed Mr. Moussa Mohammed, that his punishment had been
revised to a death sentence. Subsequently, he was transferred to death row.
The same day, he was reportedly brought to <strong>the</strong> gallows three times, before
being told that <strong>the</strong> execution would be postponed for 35 days. It is reported
that <strong>the</strong>re was no hearing about this change <strong>of</strong> sentence and that Mr. Moussa
Mohammed could be executed at any moment. It is alleged that <strong>the</strong> decision
was taken by <strong>the</strong> prison administration under pressure from <strong>the</strong> National
Security Service.
15/03/2013
A/<strong>HRC</strong>/<strong>23</strong>/<strong>51</strong>
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