Document
It has been reported to the WCC that recently three civil society leaders were taken out of a plane at the Robert Mugabe International Airport in Harare, were severely tortured, then released to the police the following day. These arrests follow recent reports of clampdown and closure of civil society space in the context of the upcoming Southern African Development Community (SADC) meeting starting in Harare on 17 August.
We reiterate the WCC’s commitment to the people of Zimbabwe that goes back to the WCC's Programme to Combat Racism through which the WCC supported Zimbabwe’s liberation from colonialism. We stood with Zimbabweans in the past; we will stand with them today.
The WCC condemns in strongest terms all forms of torture and clampdown on civil society, and calls on President Mnangagwa to address these violations that undermine the constitution of Zimbabwe and international human rights law, and release the detained human rights activists.
The WCC seeks to amplify the recent statement by the Zimbabwe Council of Churches at its 47th General Assembly, regarding the “politically fragile and polarized political environment” and its call to the nation to recommit to “constitutionalism” and the rule of law.
The WCC urges the SADC to provide leadership in addressing outstanding governance grievances that threaten the instability of Zimbabwe and the region. The WCC prays for peace, the freedom of speech, and the upholding of human rights and dignity in Zimbabwe.
Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay
General secretary
World Council of Churches
