By Fanuel Jongwe
Harare - Zimbabwe's rights record was in the spotlight on Wednesday with critics blasting a proposed surveillance bill and the failure to resettle hundreds of thousands whose homes were razed last year.
In a further blow, the economically-ravaged country's once vibrant tobacco sector hit a new low on the last day of the auction season with sales expected to plummet 31 percent during the previous year.
The Zimbabwean parliament heard that the proposed Interception of Communications Bill allowing the state to monitor phone calls, faxes and emails, flouted basic human rights.
"The bill represents a step backwards and is inconsistent with international standards on human rights and other legal requirements," Wilbert Mandinde, of the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe, told a parliamentary committee.
Continues Below ↓
Lawyer Jessie Majome said the bill, unveiled by President Robert Mugabe's government in May, gave "too much power to the minister of transport and communications who plays the dual role of judge and jury".
The bill empowers the minister to issue a warrant to intercept communication between individuals or organisations and also to hear appeals from those objecting to the interception of their correspondence.
Under the proposed law, telecommunication service providers will be compelled to install monitoring devices.
Jim Holland, of the Zimbabwe Internet Service Providers' Association, said many operators could close shop if they failed to raise foreign currency to import equipment they would be forced to install on computers.
The government says the move is aimed at combatting international terrorism and espionage.
Meanwhile, in neighbouring South Africa, a non-government organisation unveiled a trenchant report on the fate of some 700,000 people rendered homeless - according to UN estimates - by a controversial urban clean-up in Zimbabwe last May.
Continues...
|
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Digg
Delicious
Newsvine
Facebook
muti
Twitter
