The recent arrest and detention of four human rights defenders at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport—Samuel Gwenzi, Robson Chere, Vusumuzi Moyo, and Namatai
Kwekweza—has highlighted a grievous violation of human rights in Zimbabwe.
Nearly a week has passed since their detention, during which they were subjected to brutal torture for over eight hours by state security agents before being handed over to the police.
Their alleged crime was participating in a protest against the incarceration of Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC)leader Jameson Timba and 78 others outside the Harare Magistrates Court.
Disturbing images of Robson Chere, showing severe injuries, have surfaced online, confirming the
claims of torture.
Despite his evident need for medical attention, Chere’s lawyers from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) have faced resistance from state and prison officials.
According to his lawyer, Jeremiah Bamu, the prison authorities have claimed that prison doctors are only available on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
While maintaining a schedule for prison medical facilities might be standard practice, denying Chere access to external medical care, which he can afford, is inexcusable, especially given the severity of his injuries.
It is a fundamental principle that the right to health care does not cease upon detention. The
Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADR) asserts that prisoners are entitled to the same health care rights as the general population.
The right to “the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health” is
universal and does not diminish behind bars.
Prisoners retain all their human rights, barring their liberty.
This was reaffirmed on July 23, 2024, when High Court judge Justice Nyaradzo Munangati Manongwa ordered the Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Service (ZPCS) Commissioner General Moses Chihobvu and Minister of Health and Child Care Dr. Douglas Mombeshora to ensure that a prisoner, Leeroy Muteyera, receives his fundamental right to health as enshrined in Section 76 of the constitution.
Section 50(5)(d) of the Zimbabwean Constitution mandates that detainees are entitled to conditions consistent with human dignity, including medical treatment at the State’s expense.
Furthermore, international standards such as the United Nations Nelson Mandela Rules and the
United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights General Comment 14 emphasize the obligation of states to provide accessible, acceptable, and quality health care to inmates.
The continued denial of medical attention to Robson Chere by prison officials is not only a travesty of justice but also a blatant violation of both national and international human rights standards.
It is imperative that Zimbabwean authorities uphold the legal and moral obligation to ensure that all detainees receive adequate medical care, reinforcing that the right to health is a fundamental
human right that must be protected for all, irrespective of their circumstances.
