THE EU Parliament on Thursday called for Zimbabwean human rights activist Itai Dzamara to be found “immediately”.
The EU also called for the release of all political prisoners in Swaziland and for the protection of Rohingya asylum seekers and for action against human trafficking in Thailand.
The MEPs said they “strongly condemn the forced disappearance” of Dzamara, urging the government to comply fully with the High Court order directing it to search for and thus take all necessary measures to find him.
They also expressed concerns at the reports by human rights organisations of increasing political violence and other abuses and called for “concerted” action by the international community.
The resolution deplored the absence of a strong and enforceable human rights clause in the interim Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and called on the EU delegation in Harare “to continue to offer its assistance to Zimbabwe in order to improve the human rights situation”.
The resolution was passed by a show of hands.
The EU call comes shortly after the US government recently indicated that the issue of Dzamara was going to determine the relations between Harare and Washington.
It also comes after information minister Jonathan Moyo sparked condemnation after he suggested that Dzamara may have skipped the country since Zimbabwe’s borders were “porous”.
Appearing on the BBC HARDtalk programme, Moyo said while Dzmara’s case was a ‘sad’ event the government was not responsible for his disappearance.
Dzamara has been missing for two months after he was abducted by suspected state agents from his home area of Glen View.
Fears have grown that something bad may have happened to him.
Ahead of his abduction, Dzamara was severely assaulted by the police for staging protests at the Africa Unity Square in Harare, calling on President Robert Mugabe to resign for failed leadership.
