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African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights Human Rights our Collective Responsibility 206. The Co~plaina~t alleges a violatio, of Article 7 (1) (d) of the African Charter which provides for: Ii' (d) the right to be tried within a reasonable time by an impartial court or tribunal 207. The Complainant raises the allegati on that members of the Privileges Committee were judges in their cause, as the majority were members of ZANU PF, an aggrieved party, in breac of the rules of natural justice. The Complainant argues that the Victim' J case ought to have been heard according to the rules guiding a competent court of law, rather than by the mere moving of a motion setting out the allegati9l}.£pllowed by a debate and voting. In response, the Respondtnt Sta~~ orlt~~""~that the Victim was charged with contempt of Parliament an . ~t ZA ltk, PF, and argues that the of Parliament is S.U1.'...:g.., en.:eriS, a.s;!J~.'.;' c.h.;!fd court of jurisdiction law. ; .. oes not sitl' as a " 208. Before delving into the sa:~ci£i2s':,·:, of t~ep above' ''', merits, the Commission must first addres/~il~m$, Co~pl,~i30fl:nt's argume"j,.' with respect to the standard of proof nece~'~ctrYIin':'f(Gt!TinaI cases. Indeed, the Commission agrees wit!J<,the Com:p!airant tfl~t;\thi~ standard is 'proof beyond reasonable douDH:';~~wev:r;,:;i :l1~cleat ,\Vnat point this seeks to buttress, as the alleged incid;~i]:t,,.~aswitri~~§,~d:JJynumerous members of Parliament and has not. at any'~:~~p,tbe~n d~'@Ci b~ the Complain~n:. The standard of proof - which relates-only to the veracity of the facts In Issue, has unquestionably been satisfied. Th~~f;if{tosay, there could have been no reasonable doubt that the Complainant committed the acts of which he was accused. ~ • A" 209. The'.. u~'therefore carr-be broadly addressed in two questions: (1) whether(:'~DePriY:il~ges Committee con~tituted a tribunal for the purposes of trying £~3.r?eomplai~a'nt; and (2) w~~t~er the principles of fair trial as guaranteed ;;,!pnder Article 7 of the African Charter were adhered to, notwithstandingthat ZANU PF was in majority. re 210. Drawing inspiration from the j~risprudence of the ECtHR, the Commission notes that in Belilos v SWitzerland the ECtHR held that "a tribunal is characterised in the substantive sense of the term by its judicial function, that is to say determining m~tters within its competence on the basis of rules of law and after proceedings conducted in a prescri~ manner ... "70 In view of this, the Com~ission observes that sectioy;~~~~4~~" of the Privileges Act describes the jurisdiction and compl~~G\' of 0"i-;, Parliament in handling cases of contem t as follows: "a court [w_,;PJ~~~h] a..I~t(...~:;?\\ l~Sl~~....Ul lI'~\ e 0 '') ,u \'~.s.'-0' \ I ( 0 J- altau'up, ~ I,~" ~""jI .~~~ Belilos v Switzerland ECtHR (29 April 1988) Appl cation 10328/83 para 64; Deltj 'CfJlf2y ECtHR (15 October 1991) Series A No 210, Application .13057/87 paras 39 to 40, 70 .'i, ~,,;~.)' :;1 Pag~ p, Ul fv00 0 x.<:) oSlO Q$, I _, ~ (jJ ,; l jI!- (~i~R'CP.\~ ~x--v:~l ,.,.... MME sr $'i:.S :;,,,/" '~.~~,,~ ..~~~-6.rr

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Communication 298/05 - Roy Bennett (Represented by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights) v. Zimbabwe

ACHPR Decision

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Type of Document

Decision

Keywords

Cruel and Degrading Treatment
Damages and Compensation
Equality
Equality Before the Law
Freedom from Discrimination
Freedom of Association
Freedom of Expression / Digital Rights
Freedom of Opinion
Investigation
Land Expropriation
Land Rights
Participation in Government
Personal Liberty
Protection of Family and Vulnerable Groups
Right to Fair Trial
Right to Property
Torture and Ill Treatment

Case Head Notes: During a parliamentary debate, the Victim was verbally assaulted by the Minister of Justice and became so upset that he pushed the Minister of Justice to the ground. A parliamentary committee was established to try the Victim for contempt of Parliament, and the Victim was found guilty of contempt and sentenced to 12 months in prison with hard labour. The Complainant states that the trial was a continuation of a targeted campaign against the Victim, in which attacks were made on his farm and against him, his wife, and the workers on his farm. Additionally, the Complainant states that the Victim had his land confiscated by the Respondent State. The Commission found a violation of Article 2, stating that even though the perpetrators, who invaded the Victim's land, were not acting in pursuance of the government's policy, the fact that their actions were linked to the President's speech, where he singled out the victim for his political views, established a sufficient link between the actions of the Respondent State's discriminatory stance against the Victim's political views, and the harm suffered by the Victim, to constitute a violation of Article 2. The Commission found violations of Articles 3 and 5 because the Respondent State failed to investigate and try the perpetrators who assaulted the Victim and his wife. The Commission found a violation of Article 6 stating that detaining the Victim without allowing him access to a legal representative of his choice violated Article 6. The Commission found a violation of Article 7 stating that, in the Parliamentary hearing, the Chairperson exercised the dual function of being the Complainant and the adjudicator, contravening the appropriate safeguards of natural justice that should have been followed. The Commission found violations of Articles 10, 11 and 13, stating that the President's speech, which targeted the Victim because of his political association and opinion, motivated the attacks against the Victim, and therefore contravened his right to freedom of expression, association and participation in government. The Commission found a violation of Article 14 stating that, while the Respondent State may legitimately expropriate land in support of public interest, a key requirement is that there must be appropriate and timely compensation and, in the present case, the delay in compensation, and the manner in which the land was confiscated, violated Article 14. The Commission found a violation of Article 18 because the Respondent State failed to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of the attack against the victim and his family, and further because it was the speech of the President that incited the attacks against the Victim. The Commission found that the Respondent State's failure to protect the Victim's Charter rights also means that Article 1 was violated. The Commission requested the Respondent State to pay fair and adequate compensation to the victim for the acquisition of his property, and the loss of his equipment and livestock, in accordance with the principles guiding expropriation of private property under international law. The Commission also requested the Respondent State to independently investigate and punish all non-State actors responsible for the attacks against the Victim and his family and to report back to the Commission on the measures taken to implement the recommendations.

Country

Zimbabwe

Outcome: Decided on Merits

Year Decided: Mar 9, 2022

Rights Alleged to be Violated (ACHPR Provisions)

ACHPR 7: Right to Fair Trial
ACHPR 7.1: Right to be Heard
ACHPR 1: General Obligations
ACHPR 10: Right to Freedom of Association
ACHPR 11: Right to Freedom of Assembly
ACHPR 13: Right to Participate in Government
ACHPR 14: Right to Property
ACHPR 18: Protection of the Family and Vulnerable Groups
ACHPR 2: Freedom from Discrimination
ACHPR 26 : Duty to Guarantee Independence of Courts
ACHPR 3: Right to Equality before the Law and Equal Protection of the Law
ACHPR 5: Cruel Inhuman and Degrading Treatment
ACHPR 6 : Right to Personal Liberty and Protection from Arbitrary Arrest
ACHPR 7.1.a: Right to Sue for Remedy before a Competent Tribunal

Rights Violated (ACHPR Provisions)

ACHPR 7: Right to Fair Trial
ACHPR 1: General Obligations
ACHPR 10: Right to Freedom of Association
ACHPR 10.1: Freedom of association
ACHPR 11: Right to Freedom of Assembly
ACHPR 13: Right to Participate in Government
ACHPR 13.1: Right to participate freely in government
ACHPR 14: Right to Property
ACHPR 18: Protection of the Family and Vulnerable Groups
ACHPR 2: Freedom from Discrimination
ACHPR 3: Right to Equality before the Law and Equal Protection of the Law
ACHPR 5: Cruel Inhuman and Degrading Treatment
ACHPR 6 : Right to Personal Liberty and Protection from Arbitrary Arrest

Duration of Procedure

Feb 3, 2005 ~ Mar 9, 2022

Country Geolocation

Latitude: -19.015438

Longitude: 29.154857

Country Geolocation (linked ACHPR Decision): Zimbabwe

Primary Documents

Roy Bennett (Represented by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights) v Zimbabwe.pdf
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African Human Rights CLA 2.0

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Communication 298/05 - Roy Bennett (Represented by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights) v. Zimbabwe

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