26 June - UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
26 June is the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Sokwanele has today mailed out an article commemorating the day and reminding the world that Zimbabwe is one of those rogue states that has so far refused to ratify the UN’s convention against torture.
It was on June 26, 1987 that the United Nation’s Convention against Torture first came into force and in 1997, to highlight their plight, the UN General Assembly officially proclaimed June 26 as the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.
Sadly only 130 of the 190 UN member states have so far ratified the Convention. Zimbabwe is one of those states which have not. Parliament in fact voted to ratify the Convention but to date the Minister of Home Affairs and the President have not done so, leaving Zimbabwe out in the cold as one of those rogue states which refuse to take seriously the fundamental issue of human rights. UN member states which sign the Convention render themselves accountable under international law to take action to prevent torture and to support the victims when torture takes place. Clearly therefore a rogue state like Zimbabwe under ZANU PF rule, which resorts to torture routinely as a measure of coercive control over a disenchanted population, is not going to accept the principle of accountability, let alone agree to support the victims. Yet through Parliament the people have spoken, and it is clearly their will that the Convention against Torture should be accepted and implemented. Arguably therefore it falls to the people of Zimbabwe to remedy the obstructive policies and delinquent practices of their rulers and to take it upon themselves to act forthwith on the basis that the Convention is binding.
This would imply three things at the very
least for those trade unions, churches, student, civic and other groups which support the Convention - first that they take up the task of carefully monitoring the continuing human rights abuses with a view to bringing the perpetrators to justice when the rule of law has been restored; then that they take every opportunity to expose those abuses before the international community; and thirdly that they provide immediate practical support and succour for the victims…Read the full article here
