Spying Bill a rights intrusion

Mmegi Editor | Monday February 7, 2022 06:00

The Bill, which authorises the interception of communications by investigatory authorities for purposes of gathering criminal evidence, has left the international community and civil societies very puzzled and wondering what happened to the State’s declaration to protect its citizens from human rights violations.

The nation believes the Bill is a gross violation of human rights, hence the outcry for intervention from the international communities and civil societies.

The international community such as the United Nations has the responsibility to help protect the masses from any state against acts of inhumanity and in this instance intervention is needed to protect the people of Botswana from gross violation of their human rights.

The right to privacy is a universal one accorded to every human being in any state and it is one of the human rights guaranteed and protected by law but what happens when such rights are violated?

Everyone has the right to protection of the law and the universal law on the right to privacy explicitly affirms that the “right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.”

Now, with the Bill meant for snooping on individuals, the community is afraid that the right to privacy will be thrown out of the window leaving many exposed hence the call for intervention. The baffled nation is looking at the international community and civil societies for a miracle to call on the government to shelve the Bill that has been tabled before the Emergency Parliament for debate.

The nation wants the draconian Bill to be withdrawn before it causes more harm to unsuspecting innocent people. Botswana is part of the global community and it is accountable to global law such as international treaties. The expression of human rights being entitled inherently to all human beings is contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

Therefore, it is an obligation of any government to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of citizens. According to the declaration, the treaties constitute what is called the international human rights law or framework and accepting the provisions of such treaties creates legal duties for any state to ensure everyone in the country can enjoy these rights and to provide remedies if they are violated. “International human rights law lays down obligations of governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals or groups. It makes governments accountable to the international community and foresees specific measures and sanctions that can be taken against the state that does not fulfill these obligations,” says UDHR.

This is the reading from the UDHR and it is through this law that the nation wants the government to be called out and held accountable for wanting to introduce laws that may be prejudicial to the community.

The international community and the civil society, please stand up for the nation of Botswana, let your voices be heard, hold the government accountable for violating the universal rights of its people.

Today's thought

''To deny people their human rights is to challenge their humanity''