Zimbabwe: Lawyer's Arrest Raises Fear of Broader Crackdown - AllAfrica.com

Johannesburg

The Republic Of Zimbabwe government's politically motivated apprehension of outstanding human rights lawyer Rex Harrison Nkomo raises fearfulnesses of a broader crackdown on authorities critics, Person Rights Watch said today.

"The apprehension of a prima human rights lawyer may signalize the government's escalation of its crackdown on perceived opponents," said Georgette Gagnon, Africa manager at Person Rights Watch. "It would be unfortunate if Rex Harrison Nkomo became the 'canary in the coal mine.' He should be released immediately."

Nkomo was arrested near his business office in cardinal Salisbury at 2:30 p.m. on May 7, 2008, and is being held at the Law and Order Section of Salisbury Central Police station. He confronts the criminal complaints of "insulting or undermining the authorization of the caput of state" under the Populace Order and Security Act of 2002. Nkomo recently defended Barry Bearak, a New House Of York Times letter writer arrested for working without accreditation on April 3, 2008 and held for four years before being deported. Person Rights Watch urged that Nkomo be immediately released and all politically motivated complaints dropped.

Nkomo is the first lawyer arrested for evident resistance activities since the crackdown followers the March 29 elections, although others have got been harassed. Since the elections, the government have got arrested more than than 100 presiding electoral officers. On April 25, 2008, they arrested more than than 200 people who had sought shelter from the government's panic political campaign at the central office of the resistance Motion for Democratic Change (MDC) in Harare. They were held for respective years before being released without charge.

Since the March 29 elections, Person Rights Watch have documented a form of increasing force by the opinion ZANU-PF reserves and the military against members or protagonists of the MDC (http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/04/25/zimbab18653.htm).

On May 2, 2008, the Republic Of Zimbabwe Electoral Committee announced the consequences of the presidential election and said that a overflow was necessary between President Henry Martin Robert Mugabe and MDC leader Lewis Henry Morgan Tsvangirai (http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/05/02/zimbab18734.htm).

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"The opinion party's continuing ferociousness against the resistance do a jeer of the overflow vote," said Gagnon. "The apprehension of a prima human rights lawyer takes the bullying 1 measure further."

Background

Human rights lawyer Rex Harrison Nkomo recently secured bail bond for two journalists, one of whom works for the MDC, which won the recent parliamentary elections. The journalists had been in detention since April 15, 2008 on complaints of public force after being picked up close a autobus which split into fires in Salisbury on the twenty-four hours the MDC organized a "stay-away" to demand that presidential elections consequences be announced. The Republic Of Zimbabwe authorities claims the autobus ignited because of an enactment of hooliganism by the opposition, but independent perceivers propose it was an electrical fault. While representing these clients, Nkomo allegedly told a staff member at the Lawyer General's Office, a nephew of Mugabe, that his uncle should go forth office. The police force are using this allegation to warrant this politically motivated charge. The Populace Order and Security Act of 2002 introduced a scope of overbroad and indeterminate criminal discourtesies that go against the right to free expression. The law criminalizes unfavorable judgment of the president, whether his individual or his office.