ZIMBABWE Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) strongly condemns the despicable conduct of some Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers, who physically assaulted human rights lawyer Douglas Coltart on
Saturday 23 November 2019 while discharging his professional duties.
Coltart, a member of ZLHR, was assaulted at Harare Central Police Station by some unidentified police officers after he had attended to offer emergency legal and other attendant support services to Obert
Masaraure, the President of Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ), who had been arrested on Saturday 23 November 2019 by some ZRP officers and charged with disorderly conduct.
The attack on Coltart is in itself alarming in that it comes three months after some ZRP officers assaulted the same human rights lawyer while executing his professional duties of representing some ARTUZ
members, who had been arrested while intending to hand over a petition
to Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube’s Office in
Harare demanding improved remuneration and favourable working
conditions for teachers.
ZLHR strongly condemns the brutal actions of the police. Such conduct puts the integrity and independence of the legal profession at critical risk.
The physical assault of a lawyer while carrying out his professional duties is a clear sign of the police’s outright disregard for constitutional protections and regional and international human rights
standards which oblige all state actors to ensure that lawyers are able to carry out their duties without fear or favour and enjoy the same fundamental rights and freedoms as other people of Zimbabwe.
The assault on Coltart is in violation of section 219 of the Constitution which mandates the Police Service to protect and securethe lives of people and also violates section 208 of the Constitution which prohibit police officers from violating the fundamental rights or freedoms of people.
The ZRP officers’ callous actions also contravenes Zimbabwe’s obligations under regional and international law. The United Nations (UN) Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers and the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, provide that lawyers and human rights defenders must
be able to carry out their professional functions and work without hindrance, harassment, intimidation or improper interference.
The UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers require adequate protection of lawyers if their security is threatened when carrying out their legitimate professional duties and not to be identified with their clients or their clients’ cause.