Zimbabwe Authorities Urged To Investigate Death Of Opposition Party Activist

By Wallace Mawire

Amnesty International Southern Africa office has urged Zimbabwe government authorities to promptly investigate the death of an opposition party supporter as the country heads to a crunch 2023 Harmonized election on 23 August, 2023 which has been amplified by a call for peace from the Head of State and other concerned stakeholders,including political parties and the clergy,just to mention a few.

Responding to news of the death of Tinashe Chitsunge, an opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) activist in Harare on Thursday, allegedly at the hands of ruling ZANU-PF supporters, Khanyo Farisè, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Southern Africa, said, “The fatal attack on Tinashe Chitsunge, a CCC activist, paints a grim picture of the human rights environment in Zimbabwe ahead of general elections scheduled for 23 August 2023. Such callous acts of violence, which have repeatedly marred Zimbabwe’s political landscape, gravely threaten the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.

“Authorities must take all necessary steps to prevent acts of politically motivated violence and refrain from issuing inflammatory statements that could incite similar attacks or deter people from freely exercising their human rights and expressing support to political parties of their choice.

“Authorities must ensure a peaceful environment before, during and after the elections by fully respecting, protecting, promoting and fulfilling the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, association and expression.

“We call on Zimbabwe’s authorities to promptly launch a thorough, independent, impartial, transparent and effective investigation into Tinashe Chitsunge’s death and ensure that suspected perpetrators are brought to justice. Authorities must ensure access to justice and effective remedies for Tinashe Chitsunge and his family.”

Tinashe Chitsunge, a CCC activist was reportedly stoned to death by ZANU-PF activists in Glen View South, Harare, in the afternoon of 3 August 2023.

He was reportedly attacked while trying to flee from a suspected ZANU-PF mob, which was assailing opposition activists who had gathered to hold a rally.

Zimbabwe is due to hold its next general election on 23 August 2023. The country has a long history of election violence with opposition parties repeatedly accusing ZANU-PF of being behind the attacks. Amnesty International has previously documented similar election-related human rights violations in the country, including in 2008 when more than 200 people were killed during and after the election amid violence against opposition supporters.

A Civic elections monitoring body, the Election Resource Centre today said it  had learnt with concern of the serious political violence committed in Glenview/Glenorah areas of Harare in Zimbabwe on 3 August 2023 which resulted in the death of Citizen

Coalition for Change supporter Tinashe Chitsunge.ERC said that the right to life is sacrosanct and nobody has the right to take it away.

It said freedom of association and assembly are fundamental rights for anyone in Zimbabwe and the the right to own private property is guaranteed in the Constitution and acts of arson as reported in Shurugwi must be condemned.

“With eighteen (18) days to the polls, as the Election Resource Centre, we urge a prompt and thorough investigation by the Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Human Rights

Commission and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, that will bring to justice the perpetrators of these acts of violence. Additionally, apart from speeches for peaceful elections,we urge all political leaders to act firmly in preventing, disciplining their members and eliminating political violence and intimidation as these acts undermine the integrity of theelection,” ERC said.

The ERC has called  for an immediate cessation to the increasing levels of election-related violence, inciting and hate speech ahead of the 23 August 2023 Harmonised Elections.