Civil liberties remain under threat, Amnesty

Politically motivated violence, torture and the excessive use of force by state security continued to be key concerns in several Southern African countries, according to the Amnesty International (AI) 2004 report published on Wednesday. Zimbabwe was the worst offender of human rights in the region, while civil liberties were under threat in Swaziland, Angola and Malawi. The London-based rights watchdog noted that rights abuses in Zimbabwe continued unabated in 2003, as the state stepped up attacks against its opponents, particularly the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). It noted "an escalation in state-sponsored attacks on its critics", while "incidents of ill treatment and torture were reported throughout the year". Civic groups remained under pressure, but journalists bore the brunt of the crackdown. Media legislation, introduced in 2002, was being used by the authorities to "silence" reporters, and both local and foreign journalists were subjected to arbitrary detention and attacks. The closure of the country's only independent newspaper, the Daily News, in September last year was seen as an example of attempts by the authorities to muzzle freedom of expression. Police officers were implicated in "torture, ill-treatment and unlawful killings, mostly of MDC supporters," Amnesty said, while "hundreds of people were detained for holding political meetings or peaceful political protests". Public gatherings are restricted under Zimbabwe's Public Order and Security Act, and rights groups have argued that the law is being used to clamp down on civil liberties. Up to 200 trade unionists and prominent civil rights activists were arrested throughout the country in October last year following protests against high taxes and inflation. Since the start of the government's controversial land reform programme in 2002, Zimbabwe's economy has steadily deteriorated: unemployment currently stands at approximately 70 percent and inflation is hovering around 600 percent. Aid agencies estimate that this year Zimbabwe will face shortages of up to 800,000 mt of maize, a national staple, but the authorities have refuted these findings, projecting a bumper harvest of 2.3 million mt. In Swaziland AI found the apparent lack of independence of the judiciary a cause for concern. Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini declared in November 2002 that the government would not obey two Appeal Court judgments, sparking a mass resignation by the Court's judges. Despite the intervention of intergovernmental organisations, the rule-of-law crisis remains unresolved. In some cases, High Court judges and magistrates were "subjected to intimidation, demotion and other forms of pressure as a consequence of their rulings", the report claimed. In August 2003, during an international conference in the capital, Mbabane, security forces reportedly used excessive force to disperse trade unionists protesting the lack of political freedom. Amnesty was also critical of the use of excessive force by Malawi police in the lead-up to the recent general elections. On 27 January 2003, AI noted, the police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at demonstrators protesting against a third term for former president Bakili Muluzi. The torture of suspects and deaths in police custody continued to be reported. Press freedom was under threat, as the state continued to launch attacks on media workers. Efforts to consolidate peace in Angola continued, but ongoing hostilities between the government and rebels in the northern Cabinda enclave undermined political stability. AI highlighted an NGO report, released in November 2003, detailing rights abuses in the oil-rich province, including torture, rape and extrajudical executions. Although FLEC, the main rebel group in Cabinda, was responsible for some of the abuses, "many more of the human rights violations", were committed by government forces. Media freedom had improved slightly in Angola, but there were instances of journalists being intimidated and threatened with violence. Some were arrested in connection with their work, but were usually released without charge or acquitted afterwards, Amnesty said. For the full report: http://web.amnesty.org/