THIS HAS TO END!!!!!!

Criminalising Zimbabwe’s human rights defenders isn’t necessarily a new strategy for the police, but it is one they’ve adopted in a particularly cunning manner in recent months.

some weeks ago, ZBC viewers saw Zimbabwe’s Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri personally name  Jestina Mukoko as "wanted" accusing her of operating an illegal organization. this automatically labelled her as a criminal which is uncalled for.

 The police described her as “on the run,” even though police had been in touch with her lawyers all week. Mukoko wasn’t in hiding, but she was the wrong person to answer the police’s questions, which were more suitably directed to the ZPP Board Chairperson, not its Director.

Particularly given her 2008 abduction disappearance and 89-day detention,  Mukoko was not in a rush to enter police custody. Be that as it may, on Friday Mukoko presented herself to the police, and was charged with “a litany of baseless charge.” Much to the relief of her lawyers, colleagues and Zimbabwe’s human rights community more generally, Mukoko was not detained on Friday. Civil society has condemned the harassment of Mukoko and other human rights defenders. It seems as though Mukoko is being targeted for the work of the Zimbabwe Peace Project in monitoring violence – particularly election related and political violence. Jestina Mukoko is a determined women but she has to suffer for being that, precisely, there is the violation of her right to - prohibition against torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. as highlighted in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, not only is that right being violated but also her right to- prohibition against arbitrary arrest!!!!!!!!!!