Zimbabwe: Arbitrary arrest of Tsitsi Dangarembga: a worrying turn in the systematic repression of civil society in Zimbabwe
Paris-Geneva, August 3, 2020 – The women’s rights defender and
renowned writer Tsitsi Dangarembga was arrested last Friday while she was
participating in an anti-corruption march in Harare. She was released on bail
on Saturday, August 1. Her arrest is indicative of an intensification in the
systematic repression of civil society in Zimbabwe, said the Observatory for
the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (FIDH-OMCT), calling for the charges
against the writer to be dropped.
Ms. Tsitsi Dangarembga, a 61-year-old figure of African feminism
and award-winning novelist, was arrested on Friday, July 31 around midday by a
group of armed police officers while she was participating in an
anti-corruption demonstration in Borrowdale, a suburb of the Zimbabwean
capital. Ms. Dangarembga reported her arrest on Twitter. In the days leading up
to her arrest, she had been speaking out on social media against the arrest of
journalists and other defenders, activists and protesters involved in the
organisation of the July 31 nationwide anti-corruption demonstrations,
including Messrs. Hopewell “Daddy
Hope” Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume,
who have been behind bars since July 20.Ms. Dangarembga was released on a 5,000 ZWL bail on August 1, and is notably
accused of “participating in a gathering with the intention to incite public
violence”.“The arrest of Tsitsi Dangarembga and the charges against her constitute
an unfortunate new stage in the systematic repression of human rights defenders
and civil society in Zimbabwe”, said Alice
Mogwe, FIDH President and Director of DITSHWANELO -
The Botswana Centre for Human Rights. “Zimbabwe authorities should
respect, under all circumstances, the internationally recognized rights to
freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly”, she added.Ms. Dangarembga was arrested along with other peaceful protesters, who
were bundled into a truck full of police officers armed with AK-47s and riot
gear. When arrested, she was carrying placards calling for reforms and for the
release of detained journalist Hopewell Chin'ono.The Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) has discouraged the
police from unnecessarily detaining persons, as the holding cells do not have
the capacity to observe COVID-19 safety measures.“The rise in gross human rights abuses by law
enforcement officials is appalling in Zimbabwe. Charges against Tsitsi
Dangarembga must be dropped, and Hopewell Chin’ono, Jacob Ngarivhume as well as
all arbitrarily detained defenders should be immediately and unconditionally
released”, concluded Gerald Staberock,
OMCT Secretary General.In the context of the second anniversary of his disputed July 2018
election, Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched a crackdown on
anti-government and anti-corruption demonstrations, with hundreds of police
officers and soldiers deployed in the streets across the country to suppress
protests of citizens angry about ineffective public services, widespread
government corruption and soaring prices.
Press contact:
·
FIDH: Ms. Eva Canan
(English, French), +33 6 48 05 91 57 / Email: ecanan@fidh.org (Paris)
· OMCT: Ms.
Iolanda Jaquemet (English, French), +41 79 539 41 06 / Email: ij@omct.org (Geneva)
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the
Observatory) was created in 1997 by FIDH and the World Organisation Against
Torture (OMCT). The objective of this programme is to intervene to prevent or
remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. FIDH and OMCT
are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu , the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by
international civil society.