LOCAL civil society groups have called on the government to end State-sanctioned torture of human rights activists and defenders in order to avoid being thrust on the international spotlight, as the country is due for a human rights record review by the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) early next month.
Source: Govt urged to improve on its human rights record NewsDay Zimbabwe October 11, 2016
BY KHANYILE MLOTSHWA
The Universal Period Review (UPR), slated for November 2 2016, is a global mechanism aimed at improving the human rights situation on the ground of each of the 193 United Nations (UN) member States.
Zimbabwe was last reviewed in 2011, when several recommendations were made by the UN-member States.
Last week, Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum’s executive director, Lloyd Kuveya told delegates at the UPR-Info pre-session in Geneva that the country’s human rights record had not improved.
In his address, Kuveya urged the government to ratify and domesticate the United Nations Convention Against Torture and its optional protocol and provide timelines towards implementing the process of ratification or accession.
Civil society groups are also demanding an independent oversight mechanism to investigate the conduct and criminal offences committed by State security agents.
They are also pushing for the abolition of corporal punishment and ensuring that monetary damages granted by courts in cases of torture are executable and honoured.
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