A group of about 20 human rights groups led by Amnesty International is asking South African President Thabo Mbeki and other African leaders to put pressure on Zimbabwe over its human rights record.
An open letter from the groups, many of them from Zimbabwe, was delivered to Mbeki’s office on Wednesday and a full page advertisement of the appeal is to be published in the Mail & Guardian on Friday.
”We are urging African states to take a more public stand in resolving the crisis in Zimbabwe,” said Amnesty’s spokesperson in South Africa, Samkelo Mokhine.
”This included especially the South African leadership, whom we have been pushing to take a more vocal stand. The issue is not to embarrass the government, but to say that quiet diplomacy is not working and maybe it was time to try something else,” said Mokhine.
Mbeki has in the past come under fire for his so-called ”quiet diplomacy” toward Zimbabwe by refusing to confront President Robert Mugabe over allegations of torture and other human rights violations.
The London-based human rights watchdog last month said Zimbabwe had stepped up attacks on critics of the government, including torture and kidnappings, gagged the media and misused scarce food stocks for political ends.
Mokhine said the letter included signatories such as Zimbabwe’s Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, Transparency International (Zimbabwe) and the Johannesburg-based Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation.
The letter outlined concrete steps needed to tackle human rights abuses, included repealing or amending all laws which violated internationally recognised rights and investigating and prosecuting those who have committed human rights violations.
Presidential spokesperson Bheki Khumalo could not confirm receiving the letter, and said its contents would be studied before commenting. – Sapa-AFP