Harare, September 29, 2009 - Seven people who were abducted last year by state security agents remain unaccounted for, almost a year after their enforced disappearances.
Rights group, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), disclosed that seven people, who were abducted at the time of the kidnapping of prominent human rights campaigner, Jestina Mukoko, were still missing up to now despite the issuance of several court orders ordering the police and state security agents to produce the abductees.
The seven include Gwenzi Kahiya, Lovemore Machokoto, Charles Muza, Ephraim Mabeka, Edmore Vangirayi, Peter Munyanyi, and Graham Matehwa.
"Whilst we celebrate today's victory with Jestina, we are mindful that 7 other abductees remain unaccounted for to date, and we urge the Attorney General to advise the law enforcement authorities to comply with several court orders for them to investigate these disappearances and inform of the whereabouts, and/or produce Gwenzi Kahiya, Lovemore Machokoto, Charles Muza, Ephraim Mabeka, Edmore Vangirayi, Peter Munyanyi, and Graham Matehwa, which orders they continue to defy with impunity," said ZLHR.
The statement follows Supreme Court's order to drop Mukoko's charges due to the violation of several of her fundamental rights by state security agents.
Mukoko, the Director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project, was the victim of an illegal abduction in December 2008 and was subjected to various other human rights violations during her incommunicado detention which included torture.
ZLHR said the unanimous ruling on the human rights activist was the only rightful and foreseeable outcome in light of the overwhelming facts and legal arguments presented in support of Mukoko's application.
"Many of the violations and much of the wasted time, costs and anguish caused by this malicious prosecution could have been averted had the office of the Attorney General properly advised its clients, namely the police and state security agents, of their unlawful actions and properly performed its constitutional duty to ensure that such violations were punished by a refusal to prosecute. Instead, representatives of this office time and again sought to abuse their functions for the purposes of persecution, rather than justifiable prosecution. ZLHR sincerely hopes that the Attorney General will reflect deeply on how this case was mishandled and ensure that he does not tolerate similar actions by the errant law officers who were involved in
this case, or any others, which may arise in the future," ZLHR said.- Radiovop
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written by tonde, September 30, 2009
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