n a brief to the media, the National Society of Human Rights (NSHR) informed and encouraged people to participate in a protest march against Zimbabwean President Robert Gabriel Mugabe. President Mugabe is reported to be paying a two-day State visit to Namibia starting Wed-nesday next week. „The purpose of the proposed march is to show outrage about the political, human rights and humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe“. The brief reads: „We ask you to march with us and register, in front of the Zimbabwean embassy in Windhoek. The Namibian people must express their solidarity with their oppressed Zimbabwean brothers and sisters. Zimbabwe and its people are not personal property of Mr. Mugabe!“
NSHR (National Society for Human Rights) and others are deeply con-cerned by the totally unacceptable political, human rights and humanita-rian situation in Zimbabwe. This situation has been deteriorating since 1980 with the genocidal massacres of more than 7 000 people in Matabele-land. Since 2000, the situation has deteriorated even further following Mugabe’s ill-fated, ill-advised and opportunistic fast track “land reform” process, the NSHR says. In conse-quence, more than 5 million (this is twice more than the total Namibian population!) Zimbabwean citizens have fled their country. To the chagrin of the International Community, President Mugabe in May 2005 implemented the controversial Remove the Filth Operation (also known as Operation Murambatsvina).
This operation has resulted in another 700 000 Zimbabweans evicted from their homes and displaced. More than 2 million ordinary Zimbabweans have been negatively affected in one way or another by Operation Muram-batsvina alone. Those are the very same people for whom Mugabe was fighting against the equally repressive and dictatorial Ian Smith regime. As Zimbabwean president, Mr. Mugabe is primarily responsible for the acts of terror his government has com-mitted against the poor and voiceless people: the children, elderly, women and men of Zimbabwe.
The NSHR: „It is sad that there are in our country a small group of Namibians who say that President Robert Mugabe is their hero simply because Mugabe NOW claims that he is opposed to Tony Blair and George Bush, after he supported them prior to 2000. Because of the preca-rious human rights and humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe, President Mugabe has become an international pariah and bete noir. Member States of the European Union have imposed sanctions against Mugabe. The United States has imposed a similar travel ban on Robert Mugabe and his Cabinet ministers. The Commonwealth has also expelled the Mugabe regime. Last week the Government of France correctly refrained from inviting Robert Mugabe to take part in the Franco-African summit held in Paris. The fact that there was no single protest by other Member States of the African Union against the Mugabe exclusion is significant in itself.
The United Nations has also strongly condemned Mugabe and his regime vis-à-vis the human rights and huma-nitarian situation in Zimbabwe.  NSHR and other reputable human rights organizations in Namibia and outside believe that President Mugabe qualifies to be hauled before national Zimbabwean or even Namibian courts. If these two fail then Mr. Mugabe should be hauled before the International Criminal Court in The Hague to face charges of inter alia war crimes and crimes against humanity.
For further information please contact: Nadia Ihuhua or Anna-Lice Tjamburo at Tel: (+264 61) 253 447 or (+264 61) 236 183 (office hours).