Zimbabwe: Church gathers testimonies of human rights abuses

Source: Fides/ZBCB

The Catholic Church in Zimbabwe is documenting cases of human rights abuses across the country.

"The victims very often come to the church to seek help and visit our hospitals, and we bring those cases to the attention of the government, so they serve as evidence of what is happening," said Fr Frederick Chiromba, Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference of Zimbabwe, where reports of human rights violations and brutality committed by law enforcement agencies against those protesting against government fuel price increases are multiplying.

According to Fr Chiromba, some NGOs have asked to visit the clinics run by the Church, while the Episcopal Justice and Peace Commission is gathering information on human rights abuses and violence.

The Bishops have denounced the "heavy hand" of the government, said they want to promote dialogue in order to overcome the crisis. One meeting was held by a delegation of the Episcopal Conference with the Vice President of Zimbabwe, Constatino Chiwenga.

In Zimbabwe unemployment is above 80%. Many citizens accuse President Emmerson Mnangagwa of not having kept the pre-election promises to improve the economy after Robert Mugabe, who had been in power since 1980, was forced to resign following a military ruling in November 2017.