Rights group urges state of emergency

A HUMAN rights group has urged Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe to consider declaring a state of emergency to stem a tide of post-election political violence.

The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Justice (ZLJ) said a state of emergency would help protect lives and property from violence which it blamed on opposition activists.

“In view of the current situation, ZLJ appeals to government and President Mugabe to consider the possibility of declaring a state of emergency to quell the disturbances,” said the organisation’s chief advocate Martin Dinha in a report.

“Literally, Zimbabwe is at war with foreign elements using local puppets,” he said.

“Western countries are known to fuel violence, civil wars and strife in Africa and the Middle East. Zimbabwe must not fall into the trap of the evil nations’ agenda.”

A state of emergency can be declared where a president feels that a country’s stability is threatened. Initially it is for two weeks and can be extended for up to six months with the approval of parliament.

The measure enables the authorities to arrest and detain suspects indefinitely as well as impose curfews.

Meanwhile, the United Nations warned that post-election violence in Zimbabwe was rising to near crisis levels ahead of a planned presidential run-off, with opposition supporters bearing the brunt of attacks.

Violence "could reach crisis levels", warned Agostinho Zacarias, the UN Resident Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator in Zimbabwe.

"We are in touch with the government through the ministry of foreign affairs and they have requested evidence of political violence to justify the joint assessment, and we have done that," Zacarias said.

"They said they are still considering our request and we hope they will come back to us with a positive answer. We have visited hospitals and spoken to victims of political violence. Our worry is about those who may have failed to make it to the hospitals and are still out there in the countryside."