EU pull-out a green light for abuse - Amnesty

Amnesty International has expressed concern that the pull-out of European Union (EU) observers will result in an escalation of human rights violations in Zimbabwe. "The decision to withdraw EU observers will give the green light for further serious human rights violations in Zimbabwe," the rights organisation said. President Robert Mugabe's government kicked-out Pierre Schori, the Swedish ambassador to the United Nations and the head of the EU's observer mission, on 16 February. This triggered the pull-out of the 30-member observer team, and EU sanctions that include a travel ban on Mugabe and his close political associates, as well as a freeze on their overseas assets. Mugabe is up against Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai in next month's presidential election. "It is alarming that the largest contingent of international observers will not be on the ground during these crucial days leading up to the election. By their very presence they acted as a check to state-sponsored violence and intimidation occurring on a daily basis," Amnesty International said in a statement. The rights group believes the "lack of impartial international observers will facilitate further suppression of the rights to freedom of expression". Amnesty International appealed to the other remaining observer teams from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Parliamentary Forum, the Commonwealth and the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) to send a larger number of observers to make up for the absence of the EU, which was expected to field 150 monitors. In the run-up to the 9-10 March elections, professional policing standards have been undermined by political instructions, the organisation alleged. "During the past two weeks, Amnesty International has documented ... grave violations of the right to public assembly and association, which the organisation believes were facilitated by the lack of international observers." Among the cases documented by Amnesty International was an attack on Monday (18 February) on MDC offices in Harare by ZANU-PF supporters, in the presence of police. Another was the arrest of 11 church leaders on 16 February for an inter-denominational event in Bulawayo. Police officials claimed that the march by Roman Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches would endanger public order or breach the peace. Police arrested Anglican Reverend Noel Scott at his pulpit on charges that he violated the recently passed Public Order and Security Act (POSA). "Other leading clergy and worshippers followed police, who had detained Rev. Scott, to the central police station of Bulawayo, where they prayed outside the police station. Another 10 people, including Catholic priest Father Kevin O'Doherty, were also arrested and charged under the POSA, and were later released on remand on 18 February." Amensty said police also arrested "some 15 members of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) on 15 February for taking part in a peaceful demonstration that had been banned by police under the POSA. Several of those arrested alleged that they had been assaulted by police while in custody." "On 10 February, Zimbabwean police cancelled a rally in Gokwe by ... Tsvangirai, stating that the rally would be likely to degenerate into violence and was therefore banned under the POSA. Yet police did not intervene when ZANU-PF attacked the rally organizers on 9 February and burned their vehicle," Amnesty International said. The organisation believes that "inaction or use of excessive force by police violates international standards for policing. Despite the POSA stating that only force that is reasonably justifiable in the circumstances can be used, other provisions of the law endanger the right to freedom of expression".