Kolawole Olaniyan, Director of Amnesty International's Africa Programme, speaking from Lagos, said:

"The people of Zimbabwe are being sold out – in the interests of a false 'African solidarity.' This conspiracy of silence amongst African leaders is fuelling a human rights catastrophe for the people of Zimbabwe.

"African solidarity should be with the people of Africa – not with governments responsible for grave human rights violations.

"All AU member states have made a commitment to promote and protect the human rights of the people of Africa. This commitment is explicitly stated in the Constitutive Act of the AU, adopted by member states in 2000.

"The AU must take action to protect the rights of African men, Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights and Children's rights. Human rights are not simply a domestic matter."

Background

The AU statement was made earlier today by AU spokesman Desmond Orjiako.

Amnesty International, together with more than 200 African and international human rights organisations, launched an urgent appeal last week calling on the AU and UN to take action on the crisis in Zimbabwe.

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