Today is the 57th anniversary for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by UN on 10 December 1948. Yet it’s a sad day to celebrate human rights if you are Zimbabwean. The present illegal and despotic government led by Mugabe is violating every article of human rights which was adopted universally in 1948.
Take Article 1:
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Zimbabwean can attest to the fact that we are not born free, when a Zimbabwean child is born he/she already owes over ZW$125 000 to debt laden Zimbabwe. The fact that Mugabe has continued to mortgage Zimbabwe and borrow to oil the machinery that suppresses Zimbabwe's citizens means that no child is born in Zimbabwe free!
Article 2:
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Ask Trevor Ncube and Paul Themba Nyathi whose passports have been impounded by the tyrannical government of Mugabe, they are no longer entitled to the rights of freedom. Mainly because Ncube publishes the last two independent newspapers in Zimbabwe and Nyathi is the former MDC spokesperson. The consification of these two men's passports is also in direct breach of Article 13:
1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country
Article3:
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person
It will be difficult to those who lost their lives fighting for democracy in Zimbabwe, they were denied the right to life. The right to life continues being denied to other millions of people in Zimbabwe who have been displaced by operation murambatsvina
Article 4:
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
I recently did an article on Slavery In Zimbabwe check it out here but authorities in Zimbabwe continue abusing human rights with impunity.
Article 5:
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Torture is the order of the day in Zimbabwe where anyone from journalists to opposition party members is subjected to torture. As we celebrate Human Rights Declaration today spare a thought for Gabriel Shumba whose case is being heard by the African Union in Abuja. He also faces threat that if he goes back to Zimbabwe he might not be able to leave as his name appears on the 64 names that have been published by the Zimbabwean government for people who passports should be consficated.
Article 6:
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law
Zimbabwean asylum seekers in both Britain and South African have faced a very difficult time trying to be granted refugee status. It’s beyond me really that Home Office authorities in both countries can doubt that people are fleeing persecution in Zimbabwe when all the human rights abuses are well documented.
Article 9:
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile
Opposition party members continue to be arrested arbitrarily and detained without reason, some are never released they disappear. Some like this writer have been forced into exile.
There were 30 articles that were adopted universally in 1948 as binding to all people and governments. Yet the government of Zimbabwe continues to fragrantly breach these articles with impunity.
Even on a day like today Mugabe and his evil cohorts continue to abuse Human Rights, its been reported that the party started by former disgruntled Zanu PF members including Jonathan Moyo the erstwhile Minister of Mis-Information their members are being tourtured by the notorious CIO.
A sad day for Human Rights in Zimbabwe today!
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