Six months after Zimbabwean human rights activist Itai Dzamara was abducted – taken by five armed men in civilian clothes near his home in Harare on March 9 – there is still no news on his whereabouts or fate.
Senior government officials have denied any state involvement, but in the months prior to his apparent enforced disappearance, Dzamara had petitioned President Robert Mugabe to resign and to allow fresh elections. He called for reforms to the electoral system. On several occasions, state security agents beat, and arbitrarily arrested and detained him.
Dzamara has become a symbol of the struggle for human rights and democracy in Zimbabwe. Activists, opposition political leaders, and ordinary Zimbabweans have voiced solidarity with him and his family and are calling for Dzamara’s safe return and for those responsible for his abduction to face justice.
According to reports of court hearings, the police have not even conducted a serious investigation into his disappearance. Moreover, other activists, such as Jestina Mukoko, have been abducted in a similar manner by men in civilian clothes who were later revealed to be state security agents.
The manner in which Zimbabwe authorities handle the Dzamara case will show whether the country has moved beyond its oppressive past. Foreign donors like the United States and the European Union are also closely following the case and have told the government that human rights remain a key pillar of their relations with Zimbabwe.
The Zimbabwean government needs to act promptly and decisively. Short of producing Dzamara, Mugabe should set up an independent national commission to investigate the abduction, as called for by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and the commission’s findings should be made public. Mugabe should reject the views of his spokesperson, George Charamba, who on July 18 said, “I dismiss calls on the President to pronounce himself on this matter [Dzamara’s abduction] as it is pre-eminently political and thus not worthy of his attention.” Instead, Mugabe should show the Zimbabwean people that the disappearance of a prominent rights advocate is eminently worthy of his attention.
For Dzamara’s family, each passing day is a day of increased anxiety about his safe return. They have a right to know the fate of their loved one. His abduction must not be added to the number of unresolved “disappearances” in Zimbabwe.
