Zimbabwe Opposition Leader Advocate Fadzayi Mahere Condemns Authoritarian Rule at Geneva Summit
Geneva, Switzerland – Zimbabwean opposition leader Fadzayi Mahere on Tuesday condemned the country’s authoritarian rule at the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy.
Mahere, a spokesperson for the main opposition Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC), said that Zimbabwe is reeling from political repression worse than that under the late despotic president Robert Mugabe.
“Zimbabwe suffers under a dictatorship worse than Mugabe,” Mahere said. “Almost half the population suffers from extreme poverty because those in power would rather loot and persecute than lead. Only a free, credible election can resolve the governance crisis. Political prisoners must be freed.”
Mahere’s speech comes amid a crackdown on the opposition by the ruling ZANU-PF party. In recent months, there have been a number of arrests and detentions of opposition leaders and activists.
Mahere said that the crackdown is a sign that the opposition is winning.
“It might surprise you, that after repeated arrests and wrongful imprisonment, I have come here today, to the UN, optimistic,” Mahere said. “Because the crackdown now taking place in Zimbabwe is a sign that we’re winning.”
Mahere’s speech was met with applause from the audience. The Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy is an annual event that brings together human rights activists, lawyers, and policymakers from around the world to discuss the state of human rights in the world.
The summit is organized by the Geneva Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, a non-governmental organization that works to promote and protect human rights around the world.
In her speech, Mahere called on the international community to put pressure on the Zimbabwean government to respect human rights and hold free and fair elections.
“The international community must not turn a blind eye to the human rights crisis in Zimbabwe,” Mahere said. “We need your help to put an end to this dictatorship.”
The Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy is a powerful platform for human rights activists to speak out against injustice and demand change. Mahere’s speech was a powerful reminder of the importance of fighting for human rights, even in the face of repression.