A Consolidated Report on the Food Riots
19 - 23 January, 1998

Report compiled by the AMANI Trust on behalf of
the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum

I would say we were not handled as if we were human beings when I was taken to the police station. I was just handled terribly… I was held like a criminal. Everything was harsh… I used to cry when I was in the cell. Cry for myself. In the evening.. All those I remember very well, I can say ¾ of the days I was in the remand holding cells I wasn’t sleeping. I didn’t have time to sleep. It was just terrible those days… That was my first time to be held, in such a way, in such a situation. So it made it tough, 'cause when I start to remember that I was in for nothing. I was in for no reason at all. It just makes me go wild, I just.. I just don’t feel like I’m a person with my rights. I was deprived of my rights. I was assaulted. I was hassled. I was assaulted badly at that time when I think of those days. I.. I just feel I wasn’t born. I just feel as if I wasn’t existing in this place.

• Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum
• Introduction
• Background to the Food Riots
• The Food Riots — analysis of newspaper and other reports
• Analysis of arrests, charges and convictions after the Food Riots
• The Food Riots — case study in Mabvuku
• Human rights violations and psychosocial consequences for survivors during the Food Riots
• Conclusions and recommendations

Appendices

• Appendix 1: Glossary of terms used in the Report
• Appendix 2: Internally accepted rules in relation to the use of force and firearms
• Appendix 3: Structured interview format used in the Mabvuku survey
• Appendix 4: Instruments used in the psycho-social assessment of Food Riots victims

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