World News in Brief: Zimbabwe rights plea, ‘serious concern’ over Azerbaijan prosecutions, Bahrain prisoner alert

This article is published in association with United Nations.

Zimbabwean authorities must immediately release human rights defenders who have been arbitrarily detained for over two weeks and drop the charges against them, a group of independent UN human rights experts said on Thursday.

Woman human rights defender Namatai Kwekweza; teacher and labour rights defender Robson Chere, the Secretary-General of Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ), along with a local council member from the capital Harare, Samuel Gwenzi, were forcibly removed from a departing flight at Harare Airport on 31 July, according to a news release from the UN rights office.

Unidentified men escorted the three to a high security zone within the airport and held them incommunicado for eight hours.

While being held they were reportedly subjected to enforced disappearance, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including waterboarding.

They were also severely threatened against protesting in advance of or during the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit scheduled for 17 to 19 August in the Zimbabwean capital.

‘Inexcusable’ treatment

“The enforced disappearance, incommunicado detention and torture, followed by the arbitrary detention of these human rights defenders is inexcusable, and not only violates international human rights law but also makes a mockery of the safeguards contained in Zimbabwe’s own Constitution,” said the UN Human Rights Council-appointed experts, who do not receive any salary or renumeration for their work.

The rights defenders were charged with “disorderly conduct” under section 41 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act, relating to their alleged participation in a demonstration calling for the release of a detained opposition politician.

Namatai Kwekweza was not even in Zimbabwe at the time of the demonstration in question, the experts reported.

“These baseless charges are being used as a fig-leaf to target human rights defenders and opposition voices for calling for greater democracy, human rights and accountability in Zimbabwe.

“At a time when Zimbabwe is preparing to host the SADC summit, whose values include institutions that are ‘democratic, legitimate, and effective’, it is unconscionable that these human rights defenders working to strengthen such institutions remain arbitrarily detained.”

The activists are still being held by authorities and a further bail hearing has been scheduled for Friday.

Rights expert voices ‘serious concern’ over prosecution of rights defenders in Azerbaijan

The UN independent expert monitoring human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, expressed serious concern on Thursday over the ongoing detention and prosecution of six human rights defenders and journalists in Azerbaijan.

“In recent months, I have witnessed an alarming wave of arrests and criminal cases” involving defenders and media workers, Ms. Lawlor said. “I have raised two such cases with the Government that are part of this worrying trend.”

Cases which have sounded the alarm include that of Anar Mammadli, chair of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center, and journalists of Abzas Media, an outlet dedicated to human rights issues and corruption investigations.

Some were accused of a conspiracy to smuggle money and face up to eight years in prison.

“Anti-corruption investigations, independent election monitoring, and international human rights advocacy are all legitimate human rights work,” said Ms. Lawlor.

‘Clear violations’

“Retaliation for this work and for exercising freedom of expression is a clear violation of international human rights law.”

The Special Rapporteur – who along with other independent experts does not represent any government or work for the UN – expressed alarm over the alleged seizure of electronic devices and documents from the Abzas Media office and the homes of the journalists and human rights defenders who were arrested.

She said confiscating devices could potentially compromise their sources in anti-corruption investigations.

“Azerbaijan’s failure to restore justice in the Mammadli case for over six years exposes the lack of effective remedy within the country and raises concerns that violations of the rights of human rights defenders may be recurring” she said.

Bahrain’s treatment of prisoners comes under human rights spotlight

Finally, to Bahrain where the treatment of prisoners is the focus of an appeal by leading human rights experts, amid protests by detainees and allegations of exposure to soaring temperatures.

In a call to the Bahraini authorities, the independent experts – who report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva – urged “immediate action to safeguard the rights of all prisoners in Jau prison”.

Among the experts, who are not UN staff, Special Rapporteur on torture, Alice Edwards, highlighted worrying allegations that authorities “have cut air conditioning”, exposing prisoners to temperatures in excess of 50 degrees Celsius – or 122 Fahrenheit.

Since March this year, and in response to prisoners’ demands for better conditions, the Special Rapporteur maintained that those held in some buildings are “often” denied medical care “and do not have regular access to adequate food and safe drinking water”.

These conditions “could prove fatal for some detainees” said Ms. Edwards, who along with other independent rights experts urged the Bahraini authorities “to enter into meaningful dialogue with the prisoners and their families about improving conditions”.