Bukeni Waruzi's Content

RAU Campaign Update: New training on video advocacy in Zimbabwe

Bukeni Waruzi — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:11:19 -0800

My colleague Ryan Kautz and I just returned from Zimbabwe, where we completed a second video advocacy training with our local partners, the Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU). As an immediate outcome, the trainees produced two short videos based on a strong testimony of a woman who survived politically-motivated violence in Zimbabwe. The woman tells a moving story of the sexual violence she lived through. See more on our campaign with RAU here.

Now, RAU has three staffers who were trained in video editing and have the necessary equipment to complete video projects. In addition, a skilled local editor will also be assisting RAU when needed.

We also worked together to define the next steps in this campaign. In the coming months, RAU will be producing a new video to demand justice for the survivors of the wave of political violence that shook Zimbabwe after the 2008 elections. So thank you for your support thus far and, stay tuned, the coming months will be exciting for this campaign.

Endorois Victory: 'As an African, this is a landmark moment...'

Bukeni Waruzi — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:41:01 -0800

In 1973, more than 20,000 people from the Endorois, an indigenous pastoralist community in Kenya were evicted from their lands by the Kenyan government to make way for a game reserve and tourist resort. For years, the Endorois community tried to fight the government’s decision, without success. Turned away by the courts in Kenya, the Endorois took their case in 2003 to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR).

In May 2009, at the ACHPR’s 45th Ordinary Session in Banjul, Gambia, the Commission issued a decision (download the PDF), declaring that the Kenyan government had violated the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, a convention that Kenya is bound to follow. But why are we celebrating this decision only now? Because, for it to be a legally-binding decision on the Kenyan government, it had to first be adopted by the African Union's General Assembly, and then to be signed by the President of the African Union - and that's exactly what happened on February 4th, 2010. This meant that the Kenyan government now is legally bound to restitute the land and compensate the Endorois for their loss. There is no appeal, and there is no way to repeal this decision - Kenya has to implement it, and the government has to submit progress reports to the African Union. Any delay or inaction may prove costly to the Kenyan government, as the African Union has the power to bring sanctions.

For me, as an African activist, this is truly a landmark moment, for three key reasons:

1) this is evidence that the African Commission and the African Union are making sure the rules are applied and respected as stipulated in African conventions signed by African countries;

2) justice is alive and, despite disruptions caused by political violence and disorder, Africans can trust their justice system - and this decision strengthens it; and

3) this decision has an impact not only on Kenya, but serves as a precedent for cases brought by minorities in other African domestic jurisdictions.

It also matters to WITNESS. The Endorois argued their case to the Commission with the help of a Kenyan organization called CEMIRIDE (Centre for Minority Rights Development - here is their press release about the decision), and WITNESS partnered with CEMIRIDE and the Endorois to produce an evidentiary video for submission at the ACPHR - the first ever at the Commission.

In the right hands, in the right settings, video is proving its ability to strengthen social justice in very concrete ways. The WITNESS/CEMIRIDE video demonstrated the cultural and religious importance of the land to the Endorois community; the deplorable living conditions of the resettlement area that the Endorois had been moved to after being evicted from the game reserve; and the impact that the eviction had on them emotionally, physically and spiritually. The Endorois representatives who offered video testimonials to the African Commission were astonished at the impact their stories had on the Commission, and that it has helped bring them the justice they had sought; for many of them, video was the only way of bringing their voices into the courtroom, as many of the Endorois elders were too old to travel on such a long journey to the court.

First and foremost, this is a dream come true for the Endorois people - they can finally return to their land and practice their rights as recognized by the African Charter. But importantly, this is also a lesson learned for the the Kenyan government, as well as a clear message to other African countries where minorities are struggling to have their rights respected - and a new hope for those minorities themselves.

Dispatch from South Africa: RAU and WITNESS on campaign for justice for women of Zimbabwe

Bukeni Waruzi — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:30:31 -0700

In August, we asked you to join us in the Hear Us, Stand With Us campaign and support the women of Zimbabwe in their call for justice and accountability (more background below).

Your support has been truly amazing - in just two weeks, thousands of people added their voices to the campaign on Facebook and the Hub, more than 1600 people signed the petition and twitition, and hundreds of tweets and retweets on Twitter reached over 90,000 people across the world.

The message to the Zimbabwean government and to the members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) was loud and clear: stop politically motivated sexual violence against women, end impunity, and provide assistance to the women who have survived this type of violence.

Last week, WITNESS' Bukeni Waruzi traveled to South Africa to meet with Memory - a Zimbabwean woman who shared her testimony in the video Hear Us - and with representatives from WITNESS partner Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU) and the Institute for Democracy in Africa (IDASA).

Together, they delivered the petitions, held press conferences, and met with key members of SADC. In this video, Kuda from RAU gives us an update of the week in South Africa and looks forward to the next steps in the campaign.

Stay tuned for more news as the campaign develops. In the meantime, THANK YOU for standing with us!

BACKGROUND: In 2008, political violence erupted throughout Zimbabwe as a result of highly contested national elections. Between May and July alone, local organizations estimate that state-sanctioned groups abducted, raped, tortured, and beat over 2,000 women and girls due to their political affiliations. Local police have ignored these women's pleas for protection, justice, and accountability, and national leaders have been equally unresponsive. Hear Us - a video co-produced by Zimbabwean RAU and WITNESS - features four of these women who have come forward to demand justice from the Zimbabwean government and the SADC. The 2009 SADC summit was held in Kinshasa, DR Congo, from September 2-8 2009 and your messages of support were delivered to key SADC members in the lead-up to the meeting.

In the meantime, the campaign will go on and we'll conitnue posting new updates here as they become available. You can still show your support for the women of Zimbabwe by helping spread the word about this campaign and leaving a comment in the fields below.

The Trial of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo at the International Criminal Court: Swahili Version

Bukeni Waruzi — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:56:13 -0700

This video aims to inform the DRC public, especially in war-affected zones, about the Lubanga trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague. The Lubanga trial is the first ever trial before the ICC, and marks a fundamental step in the fight against impunity. The trial is ongoing, and is yet to reach a verdict.
The film gives a clear overview of what the trial is about, and what the expectations of people in the DRC are.
Thomas Lubanga Dyilo stands accused of enlisting and conscripting children under the age of 15, and using them to participate actively in hostilities in the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo between 2002 and 2003. The ICC has the mandate to protect children - one of the innovations of this new court is not only that the issue of child soldiers is the subject of its first trail, but also that former child soldiers themselves may participate in the proceedings.
This short film highlights both the discussion between the Prosecution and the Lubanga Defence Counsel in the court room, and more widely with the victims (child soldiers) and the Public Counsel for Victims’ views about the proceedings and the expectations of the DRC communities. The video also highlights the issue of fair trial and balances the opening arguments both from the prosecution and the defence in the trial.

Special thanks to OSI's Justice Initiative for funding part of the production and editing of this video and to IWPR for its ongoing, in-depth coverage of the trial of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo at the ICC.

The Trial of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo at the International Criminal Court: French Version

Bukeni Waruzi — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:35:45 -0700

Cette vidéo a pour objectif d’informer le public en République Démocratique du Congo, RDC, spécialement dans les zones affectées par les conflits, à propos du procès de Lubanga à la Cour Pénale Internationale (CPI) à La Haye. Le procès Lubanga est le tout premier devant la CPI, et marque une à à étape fondamentale dans la lutte contre l’impunité. Le procès continue, et le verdict n’a pas encore été prononcé.

Le film donne un clair apercu sur ce dont le procès est, et ce que les attentes des populations en RDC sont.

Thomas Lubanga Dyilo est accusé d’avoir conscrits et enrolés les enfants de moins de 15 ans, et de les utiliser à participer activement aux hostilités dans la région de l’Ituri en République Démocratique du Congo entre 2002 et 2003. La CPI a le mandat de protéger les enfants.
L’une des nouveautés de cette nouvelle court est que non seulement le cas des enfants soldats constitue le premier procès, mais aussi que certains ex enfants soldats eux-memes participent à la procédure.

The court film souligne les discussions entre le Procureur et le conseil de défense dans la pleinière, et aussi extensivement avec les enfants soldats et le Conseil Public pour les victimes, leurs vues sur la procédure et les attentes des communautés en RDC. La vidéo souligne aussi la problématique du procès equitable et équilibre les arguments préliminaires du Procureur et de la défense dans le procès.

Remerciements speciaux à OSI Justice Initiative pour le financement en partie de la production et du montage de cette vidéo et à IWPR pour ses couvertures continues du procès Lubanga.

Special thanks to OSI's Justice Initiative for funding part of the production and editing of this video and to IWPR for its ongoing, in-depth coverage of the trial of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo at the ICC.

The Trial of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo at the International Criminal Court

Bukeni Waruzi — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:38:26 -0700

The film gives a clear overview of what the trial is about, and what the expectations of people in the DRC are.
Thomas Lubanga Dyilo stands accused of enlisting and conscripting children under the age of 15, and using them to participate actively in hostilities in the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo between 2002 and 2003. The ICC has the mandate to protect children - one of the innovations of this new court is not only that the issue of child soldiers is the subject of its first trail, but also that former child soldiers themselves may participate in the proceedings.

This short film highlights both the discussion between the Prosecution and the Lubanga Defence Counsel in the court room, and more widely with the victims (child soldiers) and the Public Counsel for Victims’ views about the proceedings and the expectations of the DRC communities. The video also highlights the issue of fair trial and balances the opening arguments both from the prosecution and the defence in the trial.

Special thanks to OSI's Justice Initiative for funding part of the production and editing of this video and to IWPR for its ongoing, in-depth coverage of the trial of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo at the ICC.

Lubanga Trial: Press and Meetings on the Day Before the Opening of the Trial

Bukeni Waruzi — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:38:01 -0800

Second day in The Hague: Bukeni Waruzi, WITNESS' Program Coordinator for Africa & the Middle
East, in the Netherlands for the opening of the International Criminal Court's first trial
ever - a trial against Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga Dyilo for the
crime of enlisting children under the age of 15 to fight in his army
during the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Lubanga Trial: Bukeni Arrives in The Hague for ICC's first trial ever

Bukeni Waruzi — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:08:20 -0800

A vlog by Bukeni Waruzi, WITNESS' Program Coordinator for Africa & the Middle East, on the day he arrives in The Hague, Netherlands. Bukeni will attend the opening of the International Criminal Court's first trial ever - a trial against Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga Dyilo for the crime of enlisting children under the age of 15 to fight in his army during the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Interview: Protestor in NY on Israeli attack on Gaza

Bukeni Waruzi — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:35:02 -0800

Ethan Heitner, from Adalah-NY (The Coalition for Justice in the Middle East), calls on Israel to stop bombing the Gaza strip during a protest march in NY.

Demonstrations in NY against Israeli attack on Gaza

Bukeni Waruzi — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:09:09 -0800

Protestors in New York call for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East and demand the end of civilian casualties in Gaza. Other demonstrations are being organized across United States and the world to protest the killings of civilians in Gaza by Israelis army fighting Hamas militants.

Today over 850 civilians have been reported killed, thousands others injured, homes and social infrastructures destroyed, an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.