the petition presentation
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8/9/2019 The Petition Presentation
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8/9/2019 The Petition Presentation
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The Office of the Prime Minister
No 10 Downing StreetLondon
SW1A 2AA
UNITED KINGDOM
Copies sent to:
Director GeneralEuropean Commission
Director GeneralEuropean CommissionPan African Issues and Institutions
Office of the PresidentThe Whitehouse
Office of the PresidentSouth Africa
US Department of State
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Amnesty International Secretariat
SADC Secretariat
The ChairpersonThe African Union
UK Department of Foreign Affairs
Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs
17th April 2010
For The Attention of the Prime Minister, the Hon Gordon Brown
Dear Sir
In recent times, world leaders have been heard to suggest that Africas problems need to be solved by African people.
As Zimbabweans we understand that it is our responsibility to confront the issues that corrupt and bleed our nation of
its Livelihood. Furthermore we accept that it is Zimbabwean people that will provide a final solution to the crime and
corruption that cripples our nation. However, we petition the world to realise that alone we cannot overcome apowerful dictator and remove the rot from within without the support of the world at large.
Each voice signed below is a Zimbabwean who understands that they have a role to play in changing the face of
Zimbabwean Politics. However each voice is prevented from being an effective voice for democracy in Zimbabwe by
the violation of their individual human rights. Everyone of us is eager, willing and desperate to stand and be counted
as Zimbabweans, and we demand that our voice be heard.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights lays out the following concepts of Human Rights in its articles. While
there have been many breeches of the Articles laid out in the Declaration of Human Rights, and the Zimbabwean
people have suffered significantly as a result of Human Rights abuses since 1980, in this instance the following two
Articles are of critical importance to the freedom of Zimbabwe.
Article 15
Everyone has the right to a nationality.
No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.
Article 21
Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosenrepresentatives.
Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed inperiodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret
vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
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As Zimbabwean Citizens living abroad we are denied these freedoms.
1. As a Zimbabwean Citizen living outside of Zimbabwes borders some 4.5 Million Zimbabweans aredenied the right to vote in any election taking place in Zimbabwe.
Therefore by word of this petition we demand the reinstatement of our constitutional Human Right as Zimbabwean
Citizens to vote in any election undertaken for Zimbabwean Leadership at any time, regardless of our location in the
world.
The last general election in Zimbabwe was undertaken in suspicious circumstances with the results being ignored and
the population intimidated and bullied into voting for the ruling party.
1. Counting was delayed for weeks leading to speculation in vote rigging.
2. The result of a clear win by an opposition party was ignored.
3. Force and Intimidation, ghost voters, and vote rigging were widely used in a runoff election that was not
legal or accepted by the people of Zimbabwe.
Therefore as is clear from the results of the last general election campaign and its subsequent runoff election, we
demand International Observers to be present at every election undertaken in Zimbabwe. This demand extends to free
and independent monitors at every polling station, adjudicators at every counting station, and international observerspresent throughout the country in the run up to any election.
We as free Zimbabweans speak in one voice. We demand the right to take part in free and fair elections that give usthe power to bring change to our nation. Regardless of our colour, creed, tribe, sex, language, creed, religion, location,
wealth or age we demand the freedom to choose who we want to rule our nation, to see prosperity and normality
restored to our nation. We seek law and order and the right to live, work and be happy in the land of our birth. No
man, organisation or institution has the right to withhold these fundamental rights of every human being from us, and
we implore the International Community to stand by us, and support our call for freedom and our drive for change.
Our future stability and prosperity is to your advantage. We are a peaceful people seeking a peaceful resolution to the
greed, crime and corruption that has reduced the Nation of Zimbabwe into a land of paupers reliant on food aid,monetary assistance and international health aid. Zimbabwe was once the bread basket of Africa, and with your help,
guidance and support we can once again make Zimbabwe the Nation it was. As Zimbabweans we will take action and
fix our nation, but to do this we need your support and for this reason, this petition demands we all take action to
reinstate the basic Human Rights of every individual Zimbabwean throughout the world, so we have every opportunity
to fulfil our responsibilities to our country.
Signed by Zimbabwean People and their Supporters.
1093 Signatures were added to this document from the 11th March 2010 until the petition was closed to signatures on
the 16th April 2010.