Introduction
1. Lawyers for Lawyers (L4L), the Law Society of England and Wales (LSEW), Bar Human
Rights Committee (BHRC) and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute
(IBAHRI) welcome the opportunity to contribute to UN Human Rights Committee’s
examination of Zimbabwe’s second periodic report. This submission will focus on matters
concerning articles 2, 4, 7, 9, 14,15, 17, 18, 19 and 22 ICCPR, specifically:
II. Institutional independence of the legal profession
III. Interference with lawyers’ activities
IV. Restrictions on the right to an effective defence
V. Conclusion and recommendations.
2. This report will provide information on issues and questions raised in the List of Issues
Prior to Reporting (‘LoIPR’), and related matters, that have had an adverse impact on the
capacity of lawyers to carry out their professional functions in Zimbabwe. The concerns
shared in this submission are particularly relevant for the Committee’s evaluation of
Zimbabwe’s implementation of the right to a fair trial under Article 14 ICCPR, as it relates
to the independence of the legal profession, as well as other ICCPR rights and their
ensuing impact thereon.
Methodology
3. The submitting organisations have been closely following the rule of law and human rights
developments in Zimbabwe in the context of increasing executive interference with the
judiciary and rising threats, intimidation and reprisals against lawyers, restricting the
ability of lawyers to practice their profession free from intimidation, hindrance, harassment
or improper interference (pursuant to the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers
[‘UN Basic Principles’]). The information in this submission is collected through ongoing
research, including semi-structured interviews with Zimbabwean legal professionals, and
engagement with and reports from Zimbabwean lawyers and other local and international
stakeholders.
4. All mentioned lawyers have either provided informed consent to the submitting
organisations to be named, or information about their cases are publicly available and
cited where relevant.
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