Violence, intimidation and absence of protection from police summarised the public hearings
The public hearings on Constitutional Amendment Bill Number 3 accross the country have been dissected by intimidation and violence, the Election Resource Centre has said.
In their Day 2 observation report, the election monitoring body says there was intimidation that hindered free expression and coordination to silence dissent.
“The political environment on day 2 was not always conducive to the making of free and informed submissions at the public hearings. The atmosphere at the public hearings was tense and subdued but underpinned by palpable tensions,” read the statement.
In Harare, at City Sports Centre, Human rights lawyer, Doug Coltart, was assaulted by suspected Zanu PF members, and had his phone and glasses stolen.
Although police presence meant protection of citizens, they were merely window dressing at the venue.
Assailants were not apprehended and there was no effort to restore order when the hearings descended into chaos noted ERC.
“There appears to be a critical lack of coordination between Parliamentary Committees and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP). This ambiguity regarding roles in maintaining order allowed unauthorised disruptions to persist, creating a “chilling effect” that stifled free participation,” ERC noted.
“The ERC observed that, in several instances, perpetrators of violence were not promptly removed or held to account by onsite authorities, further damaging public confidence in the safety of the proceedings,”
This was not unique to Harare.
ERC observed a coercive atmosphere characterized by organised intimidation in Mutare.
The roving microphone was held hostage by suspected Zanu PF youths.
In Harare, on the brink of the chaos, Zanu PF’s Harare Youth League Chairman, Emmanuel Mahachi, was seen taking the microphone to members who were only in support of the bill, although he is neither parliament staff nor a member of the Justice Committee holding these public hearings.
ERC also observed the absence of clear guidelines on selection of contributors.
Speaker after speaker endorsed the bill.
“There is an absence of standardised criteria for selecting contributors from the floor. Without transparent and systematic selection protocols, the process is vulnerable to perceived bias,”
Meanwhile, known opposition activists in Harare, were not afforded an opportunity to voice their opinions on the bill. Those that got a chance to do so, were violently attacked for their opinion.
“While those selected to speak were generally given adequate time and were able to express themselves freely, concerns persist regarding freedom after expression, with increasing reports of victimisation and reprisals against individuals following their participation,”
On Day 1, two gentlemen who spoke against the bill in Chitungwiza were followed outside the venue and were beaten.
