UN Special Rapporteur hits the ground running

by | Oct 18, 2021 | Politics | 0 comments

By Pretty Manyewe

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Negative Impact of Unilateral Coercive Measures on Human Rights, Ms Alena Douhan today kicked off her ten-day assignment in Zimbabwe.

Ms Douhan started off by visiting President Mnangagwa at State House earlier today, where she after the meeting, President Mnangagwa updated the country on the reason for her visit.

“Her ten day trip aims to assess the impact of punitive economic sanctions on ordinary Zimbabwe which have been since deemed illegal and having severe effects on the most vulnerable in the society,” President Mnangagwa wrote on his Twitter.


After that, she held a meeting with Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Ziyambi Ziyambi as part of her fact-finding processes.

Ms Douhan is going to meet with various Government representatives, political parties and civil society, from which she will prepare a report which will inform the UN`s opinion on sanctions against Zimbabwe,

Her visit, which coincides with the country`s preparation for the SADC Anti-sanctions Day on October 25, has left opposition figures in jitters.
Opposition journalist and activist, Hopewell Chin`ono has been on an overdrive of trying to discredit the Ms Douhan.

They are worried that her report is likely to establish the true facts on the ground, that sanctions have caused untold suffering on the people of Zimbabwe.