“Similarly, the Church is following closely cases of hate speech that catalyze violence and undermines cohesion and tolerance in the country,” they say.
The Christian leaders also draw attention to “political related cases in Courts and ongoing arbitrary political arrests in the country, largely targeting members of the Opposition Political Parties.”
“The Church, in its moral and theological authority, deeply expresses disappointment and condemns all these forms of political violence, inhumane treatment, political persecution, and arbitrary arrests of fellow Zimbabweans,” say the ZHOCD members who are drawn from the leadership of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference (ZCBC), the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), the Union for the Development of Apostolic Churches in Zimbabwe Africa (UDACIZA) and the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ).
They appeal to all Zimbabweans, including politicians to uphold the sanctity of human life, adding that political party leaders need to “publicly condemn their supporters and leaders who are perpetrating violence”
“Political leaders are called to take concrete actions to foster unity, peace, and an end to all forms of violence. These should include publicly sharing measures of disciplinary committees that help account for perpetrators of political violence,” ZHOCD members say.
Government must also promote the fundamental values enshrined in the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment and demonstrate “sufficient goodwill” to its full implementation, they say.
They state their disapproval of arbitrary arrests and abuse of the Judiciary and say the courts need to safeguard human rights, the rule of law, and deliver justice impartially.
“All known perpetrators of violence must be arrested and tried irrespective of their political affiliation,” the Christian leaders in Zimbabwe say.
On general elections expected to happen within the year, they implore the State to adhere to Regional and International Conventions such as the African Charter on Democracy and Governance (ACDG) and the Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections by The Southern African Development Community (SADC).
They encourage the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) “to strengthen multi-party liaison committees and ensure swift response, robustness, and effectiveness in addressing political and electoral related violence.”
