The Law Society has urged the UN to scrutinise Zimbabwe over intimidation, attacks and politically motivated prosecutions targeting lawyers and human rights defenders.
Lawyers in Zimbabwe are facing surveillance fears, intimidation, harassment and interference merely for carrying out their professional duties, the Society said. Concerns are also mounting over judicial independence.
‘We are deeply concerned that lawyers have continued to face physical attacks, threats, surveillance and intimidation just for doing their job,’ said Society president Mark Evans.
These attacks are exacerbated by a lack of judicial independence, he added. ‘Amendments to the 2013 constitution have progressively eroded constitutional safeguards, which guarantee the independence of the courts,’ Evans said. ‘These changes have undermined the separation of powers and fuelled concerns about judicial partiality, opaque appointment processes, lack of accountability and judicial misconduct.’
Evans concluded: ‘We recommend that judicial appointments are brought in line with international standards on integrity, transparency, accountability and public participation.’
No comments yet