UN Watch’s tweet calling out the abuses in Zimbabwe’s presidential election on Saturday has gone viral with over 340,000 views, provoking angry reactions from regime officials.
“The re-election of Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa was marred by vote suppression, arrest of observers, voter intimidation, threats of violence, harassment and coercion. The credibility of this election is in grave doubt,” tweeted UN Watch, an independent non-governmental human rights groups based in Geneva. (See below about UN Watch’s advocacy for human rights in Zimbabwe.)
In response. President Mnangagwa’s chief of strategic communications, Dr. A. Mutambudzi, challenged UN Watch’s right to criticize the election, tweeting: “Why are you overstepping your mandate? Zimbabwe is not the United Nations, we only a member state. And why do you have people listed as dissidents on your board?”
UN Watch’s tweet was reposted by Citizens’ Coalition for Change, the main opposition party, and drew praise from many in Zimbabwe.
The re-election of Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa was marred by vote suppression, arrest of observers, voter intimidation, threats of violence, harassment and coercion. The credibility of this election is in grave doubt. We must stand with opposition like @advocatemahere. pic.twitter.com/CRcC2SySre
— UN Watch (@UNWatch) August 29, 2023
Why are you overstepping your mandate? Zimbabwe is not the United Nations, we only a member state. And why do you have people listed as dissidents on your board? https://t.co/t0YVzBYbS5
— Dr A. Mutambudzi (@DrMutambudzi) August 30, 2023
UN Watch: A Leading Voice for Human Rights in Zimbabwe
- UN Watch brought Zimbabwe dissident Fadzayi Mahere to testify at the United Nations, for its renowned 15th Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy
- UN Watch exposed and reversed the WHO’s appointment of Mugabe as a “Goodwill Ambassador.” UN Watch’s protest sparked world outrage, generating reports in CNN, Washington Post, Newsweek and 140 other news agencies. Then the U.S., Britain and Canada protested. As a result, the dictator was dropped. A month later, he was overthrown.
- UN Watch led the international coalition of NGOs that challenged the Mugabe regime’s massive human rights abuses, in a major address to the UN Sub-Commission on Human Rights in 2005.
- UN Watch’s Hillel Neuer debated Mugabe’s rep on CNN to oppose their UN human rights commission membership.
- UN Watch brought Zimbabwe dissident Jestina Mukoko to testify at its renowned Geneva Summit for Human Rights, as it hosted Dewa Mavhingha and other Zimbabwe activists.
- UN Watch was the NGO to confront Zimbabwe in the 2008 UPR debate at the UN.
- UN Watch hosted the first NGO debate on human rights and “Zimbabwe’s New Deal”, with -Arnold Tsunga of the International Commission of Jurists and Daniel Molokele of the Global Zimbabwe Forum.
- UN Watch led the campaign opposing Mugabe’s appointment as Chair of the World Summit on Tourism.
7/ When Ethiopia's former minister @DrTedros was elected to replace Chan in 2017, he saw no reason not to follow her example and exploit the WHO's name, and so he quickly named ally Robert Mugabe, then dictator of Zimbabwe, as "Goodwill Ambassador."
But we made him cancel that: pic.twitter.com/2liGacRqGh
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) June 5, 2020
