Inquiry into human rights

The Malawi government has defended it's human rights record ahead of a public inquiry into political and religous discrimination, violence, and related intolerance.

The inquiry, launching on Tuesday, 12 February, is part of a National Peace Building and Conflict Prevention Programme of the Malawian Human Rights Commission (HRC). The Malawian government meanwhile has said it hopes that the exercise will consolidate the country's relatively new democracy, a spokesman told IRIN on Monday.

The Malawian information ministry's Anthony Livusa told IRIN that despite recent criticism of the government the country had a democracy that was the envy of some of its neighbours. Last month, Denmark dramatically cut its aid to Malawi and voiced concern over human rights abuses and corruption.

Said Livusa: "If there's a democracy in the world where human rights are respected its Malawi. We have a democracy where people exercise their human rights, sometimes even beyond the limits. You can't doubt Malawi's human rights record."

As to whether the inquiry was timed to negate the impact of the Danish withdrawal of aid, Livusa said: "This has nothing to do with the Danes pulling out. Malawi is committed to consolidating its democracy, a democracy which is the envy of its neighbours, and ensuring dialogue and reconciliation across political and social sectors."

The HRC's inquiry is being funded by the Norwegian government's aid agency NORAD, through the Norwegian Embassy.

Norway's ambassador to Lilongwe, Asbjorn Eidhammer, however, refused to be drawn on Malawi's human rights record or the reasons for the establishment of the inquiry. He said that Malawi had made a lot of progress since democratisation, "but of course there are challenges and problems as in all African countries".

However, independent observers in Malawi, such as Blantyre journalist Anderson Fumulani, paint a picture of widespread political intolerance and intimidation. Fumulani said militants, allegedly sponsored by the ruling United Democratic Party, often intimidated or assaulted people critical of the government.

Said Fumulani: "We have a group of young men who call themselves Young Democrats who beat up anybody who criticise the government." The violence and intimidation occured mostly in urban areas.

Fumulani pointed to the repeated arrest, allegedly on fabricated charges, of a former government minister Brown Mpinganjira who is now critical of government. "Each time the charges have been thrown out of court," Fumulani said.

The HRC said in a press release that the inquiry is to investigate the incidence, causes and impact of political and religious discrimination, violence and related intolerance in Malawi and make appropriate findings and recommendations.

It aims to "contribute to law reform and the strengthening of institutional mechanisms in order to deal effectively with the causes and consequences of political and religious discrimination, violence and related intolerance".