Britain says human rights in Zimbabwe stable

The overall human rights situation in Zimbabwe has remained stable in recent months but Britain remains concerned about the repressive laws and limited media freedom in the country, Britain’s under secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Mark Simmonds said on Monday.

He said where human rights violations have occurred, they included harassment of civil society organisations, human rights defenders and opposition political activists.

Though it welcomed the peaceful elections, Britain still has concerns about the credibility of the election results won by Robert Mugabe and his Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front.

“We welcome the peaceful and calm manner in which the elections on 31 July were held, despite intimidation and the threat of violence during the lead up to polling day,” he said.

“We remain concerned, however, that the conduct of the elections was seriously flawed, with clear evidence of voting irregularities. We have made clear to international partners and the Zimbabwean Government our concerns over the credibility of the process.”

Simmonds said the British government will continue to monitor the human rights issues in Zimbabwe closely.

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