By: Innocent Mawire, Programme Officer
A three and half days’ workshop on Fair Trial Rights for Public Prosecutors commenced yesterday in Harare, bringing together 22 public prosecutors from National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) offices across Zimbabwe’s provinces. The workshop is being implemented by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI), in cooperation with the NPA under RWI’s Zimbabwe Human Rights Capacity Development Programme, funded by the embassy of Sweden in Zimbabwe.
The primary objective of the workshop is to strengthen the capacity of prosecutors to uphold and promote fair trial rights in their prosecutorial functions. This will be achieved by deepening their understanding of constitutional, regional, and international fair trial standards; reinforcing their ethical and professional obligations to uphold due process and equality before the law; and providing a forum for discussing shared challenges and case-based dilemmas related to fair trial rights. Ultimately, the workshop aims to contribute to a justice system where the NPA can more effectively promote, protect, and respect human rights in accordance with its prosecutorial mandate.
Over the coming days, participants will engage with a range of key topics, including:
- The principles of fair trial rights throughout the criminal process – from arrest, pre-trial detention, and trial to judgment – under national, regional, and international legal frameworks;
- The ethical obligations of prosecutors in the execution of their duties;
- The presumption of innocence and the principle of legality as fundamental safeguards in the administration of justice; and
- The protection of vulnerable groups, including women, children, and persons with disabilities, within the criminal justice system.
Delivered through interactive sessions and practical case studies, the workshop offers prosecutors a platform to reflect on their role as custodians of justice and human rights, ensuring that prosecutions are conducted with fairness, impartiality, and integrity.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, RWI Country Director-Zimbabwe, Mikael Johansson, underscored the importance of embedding human rights within prosecutorial practice. He noted:
“The Right to a Fair Trial is a cornerstone of the criminal justice system. Strengthening fair trial guarantees within prosecution helps build public confidence in the justice system and upholds the dignity and rights of all individuals.”
In workshop opening remarks delivered on her behalf, the Prosecutor General, Hon. Mrs. Justice Loyce Matanda-Moyo commended the collaboration between the NPA and RWI and stated that “it is a powerful testament to a shared, non-negotiable commitment to strengthening the very foundations of substantive and procedural justice in Zimbabwe” The Prosecutor General also underlined that “The concept of a “fair trial” is the golden thread that runs through the entire fabric of a just criminal justice system and not a privilege granted by the state, but a fundamental human right enshrined in our Constitution and in international law, a right that the State, through institutions like ours, is duty-bound to protect and uphold, without exception.”
By the end of the workshop, participants will not only have gained deeper insights into the procedural and substantive aspects of fair trial rights but will also leave empowered to champion these rights through their everyday work, contributing meaningfully to the protection of human rights and justice in Zimbabwe