BAPTISM OF FEAR

Zimbabwean human rights lawyers Andrew Makoni and Irene Petras dedicated their lives to the high-risk business of defending victims of state-endorsed persecution when rising violations became difficult to ignore. But it wasn’t until Makoni and a colleague were arrested in May 2007 for representing political activists accused of terrorism that they gained a unique understanding of what their clients experience. “The arrest and detention was the baptism,” says Makoni, who was held for days without access to lawyers or proper food. Petras was among several lawyers assaulted while launching a petition in their defence. Last week they came to Canada to represent Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, winner of the 2008 John Humphrey Freedom Award given by Rights & Democracy, a Canadian advocacy group. “You have to speak out,” says Petras. “Otherwise things will never change.”