Zimbabwe figures unpleasantly often in this blog. Last month it was the arrest of Okay Machisa, the director of ZimRights (since been freed on bail), and the police raid on the Zimrights office before that. Now AFP reports that the Zimbabwe police on 12 February raided the offices of another prominent human rights NGO, the Zimbabwe Peace Project. “At least seven police officers in civilian clothes raided the offices of Zimbabwe Peace Project and took some documents including reports and CDs,” said Kumbirai Mafunda, the spokesman for Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights. “This is purely harassment and another crackdown on human rights defenders,” he told AFP, speaking on behalf of the Zimbabwe Peace Project. Mafunda said the officers had a warrant to search for “articles (intended) for criminal use”. The document did not state the nature of the articles. Police could not be reached for comment.
The Zimbabwe Peace Project records cases of human rights violations, notably during the run-up to the bloody 2008 vote. With the southern African country readying for elections later this year, political tensions are running high and activists increasingly targeted.
Related articles
- Zimbabwe steps up purge on civil society groups (nation.co.ke)
- ZimRights Director Okay Machisa arrested in Harare (thoolen.wordpress.com)
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 
February 21, 2013 at 19:28
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March 9, 2013 at 18:03
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