The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (the Forum) is a coalition of 20 human rights organisations operating in the country to advance the cause of human rights.

On 22 May 2020, the Forum delivered a petition to the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage and the Commissioner-General of Police calling for investigations and decisive action on, among other violations, the abduction and torture of the Honourable Member of Parliament (MP) for Harare West constituency Joanna Mamombe, and two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Alliance youth leaders Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova.

The Forum notes with dismay, shock and repugnance the mention of three of our members by Minister Kazembe Kazembe, in his press statement on 4 June 2020.

We note earlier statements by senior government and ruling party officials, that pre-emptively characterised the abductions as fake, and as having all the hallmarks of “other fake abductions”.

We note, for instance, that the Minister’s statement fails to address the critical question of the conflicting statements issued by the police in the first two days of the abductions, including the confirmation by Police Spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi of the arrest of the trio.