Nixon Nyikadzino v Zimbabwe
Relying on case law ... the Commission finds that the Complainant is unable to
pursue any domestic remedy following his flight to the Republic of Congo for
fear of his life ... The Commission therefore declared the communication
admissible based on the principle of constructive exhaustion of local remedies.
30. Similarly the Complainant avers that the Victim fled Zimbabwe in fear for his life after
being tortured by the Zimbabwean military because of his affiliation with an
organization lobbying for constitutional reform. The Victim according to the
Complainant is now in South Africa, and remains fearful of further attacks should he
return to Zimbabwe, particularly in light of the widely-reported and continuing attacks
against opposition leaders and activists by members of the uniformed forces who do so
with no punitive sanctions from the Zimbabwe Government.
31. In light of the above the Complainant submits that the Victim was forced to flee from
Zimbabwe and remains outside the country due to a generalized fear for his life, and
consistent with the Commission's jurisprudence above, local remedies are unavailable
and constructively exhausted.
32. As stated above, the Complainant argues, a remedy is effective only when it offers a
prospect of success.10 When remedies are formally available but courts are not
independent or impartial, the remedies will be deemed ineffective.n
33. The Complainant contends that because the Zimbabwean judiciary is no longer fully
independent and is subject to political pressure, and because court orders in Zimbabwe
are regularly ignored by Zimbabwean authorities, particularly in cases that involve
politically-motivated violence, local remedies offer the Victim no reasonable prospect of
success and are ineffective.
10
11
Jawara v The Gambia para. 32.
Communication 60/91 - Constitutional Rights Project v Nigeria (1994) ACHPR para. 10.
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11 th Extraordinary Session of the ACHPR