Feature - US slams poor rights records in region

The human rights records of five governments in Southern Africa during 2002 were described as "poor" by the US Department of State in its annual reports. In Zimbabwe, "President [Robert] Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party used intimidation and violence to maintain political power. A government-sanctioned, systematic campaign of violence targeting supporters and potential supporters of the opposition began in late 2001 and intensified during the year ... security forces committed extrajudicial killings," a 37-page report on Zimbabwe charged. Ruling party supporters and war veterans, which the US called "an extralegal militia", had "with material support from the government, expanded their occupation of commercial farms and killed, abducted, tortured, beat, abused, raped and threatened farm owners, their workers, opposition party members and others believed to be sympathetic to the opposition," the report found. The State Department said various civil liberties were infringed and freedoms of speech and the press were circumscribed by "restrictive laws". The report also pointed to the internal displacement of former commercial farm workers "due to the ongoing land resettlement policies", adding that "tens of thousands of opposition supporters were displaced by threats of violence". Abuse of women and children continued and "the president and his government encouraged widespread resentment of the white minority". The report also noted anecdotal reports of trafficking of people. Included among governments with a rights record deemed poor was Zambia. "Although there were some improvements in a few areas, serious problems remained," the State Department said. The report on Zambia said police officers had committed several unlawful killings and "frequently beat and otherwise abused criminal suspects and detainees". While some officers were arrested, "most officers who committed such abuses did so with impunity". Zambia's police force lacked professionalism, investigative skill and discipline. Meanwhile, prison conditions were "harsh and life-threatening". "Arbitrary arrests, prolonged detention and long delays in trials were problems [and] the police infringed on citizens' privacy rights," the report noted. There were reports that the government "at times sought to restrict press freedom". As with Zimbabwe, violence against women remained widespread and they "continued to experience discrimination in both law and fact, including the denial of widows' inheritance rights," the State Department added. Angola was another country where the government's human rights record was said to be problematic. The State Department charged that the government "continued to commit serious abuses" during 2002. The country celebrates its first anniversary of the ceasefire agreement which ended its 27-year civil war on Friday, 4 April. The Angola report noted that "citizens have no effective means to change their government" and that "members of the security forces committed extrajudicial killings, were responsible for disappearances and tortured, beat, raped and otherwise abused" people in that country. Following the signing of the ceasefire agreement with former rebel group UNITA, "the army ceased to be the major human rights offender outside of [the disputed] Cabinda province", where separatist rebels have been waging an armed struggle since Angola's independence. UNITA were responsible for killings, disappearances, torture, rape and other abuses until the effective cessation of hostilities in February 2002, after the death of its leader Jonas Savimbi, the report said. But the police force assumed the mantle of "worst offender" and prison conditions remained "harsh and life-threatening". "The government routinely used arbitrary arrest and detention, and lengthy pre-trial detention was a problem. Where it did function, the judiciary was subject to the influence of the president, the ruling MPLA party, or anyone able to offer bribes in exchange for favourable rulings," the report charged. The government continued to limit independent investigations of human rights abuses but did allow peaceful public protest and opposition party meetings, the State Department noted. The tiny kingdom of Swaziland, where King Mswati III rules as absolute monarch, was among the countries whose governments "continued to commit serious abuses", this report observed. Noting that Swazis were unable to change their government peacefully, the State Department added that "the government interfered with the judiciary and infringed on citizens' privacy rights ... restricted freedom of assembly and association and prohibited political activity". The report on Swaziland also noted that freedom of the press was limited and that "legal and cultural discrimination and violence against women, as well as abuse of children, remained problems". In Mozambique, the government's rights record improved in some areas but still remained poor. "Police continued to commit numerous abuses, including unlawful killings ... beat persons in custody, and abused prostitutes and street children." Citizens' rights were restricted and the judiciary was "inefficient, understaffed and under-funded ... dominated by the executive and subject to corruption". The report also commented that "unlike in the previous year, there were no confirmed reports that women or children were trafficked to South Africa or Swaziland for prostitution". The US State Department said South Africa, Madagascar, Botswana, Namibia, Comoros, Malawi and Lesotho generally respected the human rights of their citizens.