Acclamation+of+Zim+Solidarity+by+130+at+Devonshire+Hotel+17+May+06

=Statement of Solidarity=


 * Adopted by acclamation at a meeting attended by 130 people held at the Devonshire hotel on 17th May 2006.**

//Co-hosted by the Zimbabwe Solidarity Forum, CSVR and ACTION for Conflict Transformation.//

We the participants at the Zimbabwe Solidarity Forum, CSVR and ACTION for CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION hosted public forum have the following statement to make:

We condemn in the strongest possible terms the recent wave of repression that has swept through Zimbabwe. The arrest and harassment of John Makumbe, WOZA women and other prominent civil society activists must not be allowed to go unchallenged.

We denounce in the strongest possible terms the arrest and torture of student activists who have been detained at Maximum prisons and stand in total solidarity with their struggle for the right to education.

On the anniversary of Operation Murambatsvina, which essentially criminalizes poverty, and the ongoing political economic and social crisis that this has contributed to, it is imperative that we speak out against these new abuses.

The livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people have been destroyed, access to health and education has been denied, and people have been evicted from their homes and forced to migrate to rural areas.

Church leaders have also been interrogated, women and children have been detained and civil society groups working for peace, justice and human rights have been systematically undermined and harassed.

We strongly condemn the government ban and interference on civic society activities lined up to commemorate the first anniversary of Operation Murambatsvina. As state sponsored abuse of human rights and closure of democratic space worsens in Zimbabwe, we seek to remind the Harare government that the world is watching.

We call on the South African Government, SADC, the African Union and the United Nations to speak out in principled opposition to the past and recent repressive tactics used by the Zimbabwean government to silence its people.

Immediate action is required in defense of justice, peace and human rights.

We call on these bodies and all of those who wish to promote and defend the values enshrined in the South African constitution to join us in support of the struggles of the people of Zimbabwe for social justice, democracy and dignity.

__Participants from the following organizations attended the meeting:__

Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department Conquest 4 Life Conflict and Governance Facility (CAGE) South African National NGO Coalition (SANGOCO) Transparency South Africa (TSA) KZN Dionatal CIVICUS The Grail Cease Fire Campaign Heal Zimbabwe Trust (HZT) Congress of South African Students (COSAS) ACTION Support Centre Zimbabwe Institute (ZI) South African Students’ Congress (SASCO) Pitseng International Crisis Group (ICG) Mthwakazi Arts Group ZIMONLINE Zimbabwe Civil Society’s Forum Action Aid International- South Africa South African Communist Party (SACP) Coalition for Peace in Africa (COPA) Young Communist League (YCL) Regional Peace Network Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) CAJ Exiles Radio Zibonele- Khayelitsha Bitim - Sweden CRISIS in Zimbabwe Coalition Zimbabwe Refugees Forum (ZIMRE) Centre for Civil Society (CCS) Abahlali base Mjondolo Zimbabwe Liaison Office (ZLO) Belgian Embassy Meetings of the Mind EISA Zimbabwe Torture Victims Project (ZTVP) South African History Archives (SAHA) Gun Free Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR CLLR D.E.C. Zimbabwe Action Support Group (ZASG) FDS SRM Trauma Healing Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) Zimbabwe Solidarity Forum (ZSF) UHURU Movement (Zimbabwe) US Embassy Amani Trust