OVERVIEW

The month of October saw an increase in the number of reports of political violence as compared to the previous month. Forty three cases of assault were recorded in October of which most were perpetrated by the army and police. Fifteen people were indiscriminately assaulted by the police and army at Budiriro 4 Shopping Centre. It is reported that the assailants were looking for a certain MDC activist who resides in that area. When they failed to find him, they went about assaulting the patrons at the Centre. Targeted assaults took place thereafter in the same area .The Human Rights Forum deplores such indiscriminate acts of assault on the citizens of Zimbabwe by security forces who are supposed to be protecting them.

Violence broke out in Chitungiza when MDC and ZANU PF supporters clashed resulting in riot police assaulting ten MDC activists. The residents were demonstrating over poor services being provided by the Municipality on 13 October. It is alleged that two camps emerged during the demonstration, one was mainly of ZANU PF supporters who demanded the resignation of the Mayor and the other one mainly of MDC supporters who sided with the Mayor. Violence ensued thereafter and riot police reportedly assaulted mainly MDC supporters. The Forum would like to urge the police to exercise restraint when dealing with demonstrations and to desist from partisan actions.

Intra-party political violence in the MDC reportedly took place between two factions, one of which was pro senatorial elections and one which was opposed to participating in these elections.Three MDC senate candidates were reportedly assaulted by some rowdy youths who accused them of defying party President Mr Morgan Tsvangirai’s call not to contest the polls. It is also reported that violent clashes broke out at the MDC Manicaland headquarters in Mutare’s Darlington medium-density suburb. It appears a gang of youths allegedly bused from Harare tried to disrupt a provincial executive meeting to “punish” the local leadership for embarrassing party leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai by voting in favour of participating in senatorial elections. The Forum urges the two factions to desist from a culture of violence in solving their differences and to tolerate divergent views as a symbol of a democratic society.

Totals: 1 October – 31October 2005

Cumulative totals: 1 January – 31 October 2005

The cumulative graph should be read along with the table depicting the monthly totals of violations from 1 January 2005 to 31 October 2005. The total quantifiable number of victims reported in October 2005 is 43.

Key Abbreviations

AIPPA – Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act UMP – Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe

CIO – Central Intelligence Organisation ZANU PF – Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front

MDC – Movement for Democratic Change ZCTU – Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions

MP – Member of Parliament ZNA – Zimbabwe National Army

ZPS – Zimbabwe Prison Service ZRP – Zimbabwe Republic Police

NAGG - National Alliance for Good Governance ZNLWVA – Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans

NCA – National Constitutional Assembly Association

OVT – Organised Violence and Torture ZIMTA – Zimbabwe Teachers Association

POSA – Public Order and Security Act ZUPCO – Zimbabwe United Passenger Company

PTUZ – Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe

Sources: The information contained in this report is derived from statements made to the Public Interest Unit of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum, statements taken by a network of human rights activists and newspaper reports,

Notes to the tables:

Torture:

All cases of torture fall under the definition of torture according to the general definition given in the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment.

The four elements of torture are:

1. Severe pain and suffering, whether physical or mental

2. Intentionally inflicted

3. With a purpose

4. By a state official or another individual acting with the acquiescence of the state.

Those individuals referred to in point # 4 include the ZRP, ZNA, ZPS and the ZNLWVA (as a reserve force of the ZNA) and by any other grouping when directly sanctioned by the state.

Unlawful arrest and detention:

Arrest by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) with no reasonable suspicion that an offence has been committed. Detention thereafter for a period exceeding 48 hours without access to redress through the courts or subsequent release without charge.

Abduction/kidnapping:

A kidnapping by a member(s) of an organised group that is not the ZRP, political party, ZNLWVA, ZNA, MDC, Zanu PF etc

Disappearance:

Kidnapped persons whose whereabouts remained unknown at the time of reporting. Their whereabouts have still to be ascertained through follow up reports or further investigation.

Property related

These are incidents in which property rights have been violated. This includes arson, property damage and destruction and theft.

Cases of Political Violence

Note: The identities of victims whose names have not been published in the press and are not public officials are protected by the use of initials. This is done in order to protect the victim from further violence, intimidation and possible recriminatory attacks.

The purpose of this report is to record the nature of the politically motivated violence and intimidation that continues to prevail in the country. The Monthly Political Violence Reports are primarily based on victims’ accounts, accompanied by medical evidence where possible, obtained from member organisations of the Human Rights Forum and other partner organisations. Use is also made of press reports on politically motivated violence. The Monthly Political Violence Report cannot therefore be considered as the exhaustive record of all incidents of politically-motivated violence in Zimbabwe in the period under review. Nevertheless, every incident reported to the Human Rights Forum directly or through its members is meticulously documented and included in the reports. Care is also taken to record the incidents in the language in which they were reported to the Forum.

The situation prevailing in the country is such that it has not been possible to verify all of these accounts. The Human Rights Forum has done what it can to verify the reports, and is satisfied that the vast majority of them are substantially true. It is also not possible to rule out whether a victim’s account is exaggerated or contains inaccuracies.

All reports derived from the press are denoted with the symbol ∑ \

Harare

Budiriro

15/10/2005

Fifteen people were assaulted by the police and army at Budiriro 4 Shopping Centre. The victims claim that on the day of the incident, they were patronising a bar located at the Shopping Centre when an Army vehicle pulled over. The vehicle contained about 15 people some of them soldiers, prison officers and police officers. It is alleged that the police and soldiers were looking for a certain MDC activist who resides in that area. After they had not found the activist, the soldiers and police are alleged to have indiscriminately assaulted those whom they thought were associated with that activist. The victims state that they were assaulted with baton sticks, sjamboks and booted feet. Some victims sustained injuries during the assaults. The victims were taken to Glen View Police Station in an Army truck. They were detained there for the whole weekend without charge. They eventually paid admission of guilt fines after the intervention of a lawyer as they were later charged under POSA.

In a related matter to the one above, another victim alleges that she was at Budiriro 4 Shopping Centre in the afternoon when she witnessed her husband being assaulted by members of the ZNA. She tried to intervene by reporting the matter to the Glen View Police Station but in vain. When she came back home she claims her home had been broken into and about $8 million dollars was missing. Thereafter the same people who had assaulted her husband came into the house. They were about 20. They broke into the house through the window and her husband fled. It is alleged that they assaulted the victim on the left eye using open hands. Thereafter the assailants left.

16/10/2005

Following the assaults that had taken place the preceding day in that area, the victim claims that on the night of the incident, he heard some knocking on his window at 10:00 pm. He says he did not respond to the knocks initially because he was afraid. He later responded after the knocking intensified including from his lounge door. He suddenly heard some of his tenants crying as they were being assaulted. He unlocked the door and realised that the assailants were uniformed soldiers and prison officers. He says that there were about 24 of them. The victim claims that the assailants started to assault him all over the body with a plank, booted feet, open hand and clenched firsts. The assailants asked him to accompany them to a fellow MDC colleague’s house. They forced entry into the house but did not find him. They told the victim that they wanted to assault his MDC colleague because he is an MDC activist. He was later ordered to go back home as he was bleeding from the nose and mouth. The following day the victim tried to report the matter to Glen View Police Station but was threatened with arrest by police officers at that station. He claimed to have met some of his assailants who threatened him with death.

19/10/2005

The victim was watching a football match in the bar with two friends when he was struck in the back with a baton. Before the incident he had noticed military police in the area. He apparently lost consciousness after the assault and regained consciousness when he was detained in a cell at King George the 6^th (KG 6) army barracks, which was full of water and his clothes were wet. He reports he was taken to the military police headquarters the following morning in leg irons. He was asked by the Officer-in-Charge why he had assaulted soldiers in Budiriro. He claims that when they checked his records they saw that he had not deserted from the Army but was discharged honourably in 1991. After that he was told that the CIO who were outside wanted him. He says they told him they knew his movements and that he was going to South Africa. He was asked where MDC was training its people. He alleges that they then threatened to kill him and that he told them to proceed because he goes to South Africa to sell crafts. They assaulted him on his right knee with a stone and he was taken in a car and driven to Chivero where he was dumped near a farm. He walked to Harare alone despite his painful legs.

Harare Central

02/10/2005

The victim states that he was chairing an MDC meeting from about 10:00hrs. At around 12:10 pm when someone was saying a prayer to close the meeting, the victim heard from the security team that the ZRP was approaching. There were about 40 people at the meeting and they started panicking. A police detail with a rifle came and ordered everyone to sit down. The police told them to continue doing whatever it is that they were doing. Another policeman accused them of meeting to plan to unseat the ruling government. The victim reports he and others were ordered to hold hands and go to the truck the police had brought where there were 4 policemen who were all armed. 22 people managed to escape as the group was moving to the police truck. The victim and others were taken to the police station where a police officer known to him slapped him 4 times across the face. A policeman also assaulted an elderly activist . The police asked who had been in charge of the meeting, when told that it was the victim who was the chairperson, he was further assaulted on the back with a baton stick. All this time the police were interrogating everyone and after being informed that the meeting was about a housing co-operative, they charged everyone for holding an illegal meeting and fined everyone $25, 000 under POSA.

Harare North

20/10/2005

Two University of Zimbabwe student leaders were suspended from the University by the Vice Chancellor and later taken to Avondale police station where they were placed in the custody of the police following demonstrations which had taken place the preceding day. It is reported that sometime at the beginning of October, the Vice Chancellor circulated a memo to the students to the effect that an amount of $150 000 was to be deducted from each and every student for purposes of funding the repair to the toilets in the halls of residence. The Vice Chancellor reportedly stated that students were responsible for the damages to the toilets and consequently they were to bear the costs of the repairs. Students tried to resist this move but with time it became clear that the Vice Chancellor was not backing down on his decision. It is reported that on 19 October students spontaneously gathered at New Complex 4 where they were addressed by the student leaders. The student leaders are said to have urged the students to resist paying the said amount until the issue had been resolved between the Students Union and the Vice Chancellor. Apparently after the address some students went about chanting slogans and demonstrating. In the process the demonstration became violent as some property, including two vehicles, was damaged. Security agents were deployed and there were skirmishes fought between the agents and students lasting into the night. The following day the Vice Chancellor suspended the two student leaders and they were handed over to the Avondale Police Station. They stayed in police custody overnight ad they had access they had access to a lawyer the following day. After some delays by the police in preferring charges, the victims were later charged with malicious injury to property. They were released and informed that the police would call them when they have gathered more evidence to sustain the charges.

Harare South

19/10/2005

The victim claims that he was evicted form his stand at Hopely Farm by ZANU PF youths. On the day of the incident, he says that about 20 ZANU PF youths came to his stand at 6:00 am and told him that Minister Chombo and the MP for Harare South, Mr Nyanhongo, had said that he had to leave the farm alleging that he had reported the Minister last year and the matter went to court. He says he was also accused of working with NGOs and that NGOs supported MDC hence he was an MDC supporter. He was forced to vacate the premises. He says he left all his belongings save for the clothes he had on and his national identity card.

25/10/2005

Six researchers, working with the Mass Public Opinion Institute were reportedly assaulted by a group of war veterans whilst seeking public opinion on the political, social and economic variables in Zimbabwe. The researchers were conducting a research for Africa Barometer at Ushewekunze Housing Co-operative in Waterfalls. It is alleged that on the day of the incident, the researchers arrived at the housing co-operative at around 4:00 pm. They disembarked from their vehicle leaving the driver and the supervisor in the vehicle. It is alleged that the self-styled war veterans then rounded them up and started to assault them using booted feet, clenched firsts, open palms, sticks, logs and bottles. They were accused of acting against the national interests. All this took place in full view of a local community of about 200 people. Furthermore, the assailants surrounded their vehicle and shoved, slapped and pushed out the supervisor and the driver. It is further alleged that the assailants took over the vehicle and drove it to their offices. One of the researcher had a surname synonymous to a leading constitutional activist and upon this information being discovered, he was further assaulted and was told that he was being beaten ‘for the sins of his brother’. They were finally released around 7:00 pm. Some of the researchers were admitted at a hospital for treatment and were later discharged. Two of them were hospitalised and detained overnight as they had sustained several injuries.

Kambuzuma

08/10/2005

On the day of the incident at around 4:00 pm the victim reports that a rally had just ended at Highfield’s Zimbabwe grounds. The victim is the youth organising secretary for the MDC. As he and colleagues were approaching Marimba Park crossroads into Kambuzuma road they met a police truck with many policemen. The police stopped their truck and accused them of singing anti-government songs and they were told that they were going to be arrested for that. The police then told the victim that it was no longer permissible to say or sing anti- government songs. The victim was again redirected to Marimba police station. At the police station the others arrested were asked to go home, but the victim remained there with two other activists. They were all locked up behind a fence at the police station. They were informed that officers of the Police Internal Security Investigation (PISI) Unit would review their case. These officers came around 9:00 pm and took the victim and his associates to another office where they were told to lie down on their abdomen for interrogation. In the process the three policemen allegedly took turns to beat the victim and his colleagues on the buttocks using batons for about half an hour or more. They were taken back and locked up again and spent the night there. They were released on the Sunday after paying a fine of $100, 000 with no charges brought against them.

Mbare

08/10/2005

On the day of the incident the victim was on her way home after attending a rally held at Zimbabwe grounds. She was wearing an MDC t-shirt since she claims she is an MDC activist. She met a group of youths near Southerton Police Station. She was assaulted with a switch. She managed to escape into the adjacent industrial area. She removed the t-shirt she was wearing on top of her dress and managed to escape.

Zengeza

13/10/2005

Violence broke out in Chitungiza when MDC and ZANU PF supporters clashed resulting in riot police assaulting ten MDC activists. On the day of the incident, a demonstration against the Mayor of Chitunwiza over water and sewage problems was taking place at the Municipal offices in Zengeza at about 9:00 am. It is alleged that some ZANU PF activists wanted to take the opportunity to unseat the Chitungwiza Mayor ( Mr Shoko). Upon discovering this apparently sinister motive, some MDC activists present claim that they decided to defend the mayor. It is alleged that some Zanu PF supporters had placards written, “Shoko must go”. At this point the MDC supporters closed the gate to the mayor’s offices. Eventually the Zanu PF supporters were shouting “Shoko must go” while the MDC supporters were shouting saying no. As this went on a fight broke out between Zanu PF and MDC supporters. The Zanu PF supporters are reported to have had the police with them and the police were reported to be actively assaulting MDC supporters accusing them of disturbing a legal demonstration. They were assaulted with batons, fists and booted feet. About ten MDC supporters were arrested and taken to the Chitungwiza Town Centre Police Station and later detained at Makoni Police Cells. One of the victims claims that he was assaulted with an iron bar on the head and ear. While being escorted to the police truck the victim said he was also assaulted by a heavy object on his back. While in police custody he alleges that he was assaulted by police officers with broomsticks. Some of the victims were kept in custody up to 17 and some up to 18 October 2005. They were charged under POSA.

31/10/2005

The victim alleges that he was assaulted by Zanu PF Kaguvi Training Centre students for wearing an MDC T-shirt. They used booted feet, clenched fists and chains.

Midlands

Gweru Urban

24/10/2005

∑ \ Three MDC senate candidates were reportedly assaulted by some rowdy youths who accused them of defying party president Mr Morgan Tsvangirai’s call not to contest the polls. The three candidates who are Isaac Mzimba (kwekwe/Silobela/Chirumanzu), Edson John Nyathi (Gokwe Chirya/kana/Sengwa) and Lameck Nkiwane Muyambo (Gokwe Central/Nembudziya/Zhombe) were attacked by the youths outside the Nomination Court soon after submitting their papers. It is reported that the three had arrived at the Court at around 3:50pm, just 10 minutes before the close of the nominations. They went straight into the Court where they filed their papers. Trouble started when the three men went out of he building as several MDC youths pounced on them. The youths are reported to have attacked the candidates with booted feet and fists. They were also pelted with stones as they tried to flee and were only rescued by the police. It is understood that four of the assailants were arrested by the police.

Manicaland

Mutare North

18/10/2005

∑ \ It is reported that violent clashes broke out at the MDC Manicaland Headquarters in Mutare’s Darlington medium-density suburb. A gang of approximately 40 youths allegedly bused from Harare reportedly tried to disrupt a provincial executive meeting to punish the local leadership for not voting properly during the party National Executive Council meeting which had been held earlier on in Harare to consider participation in senatorial elections. It appears that some youths from Harare and other disgruntled local party supporters besieged the offices to try and disrupt a meeting that was in progress. Reports indicate that the supporters clashed outside the MDC offices using various objects, including stones and logs. Some neighbours had to scurry for cover as missiles from the feuding parties flew in all directions. It is understood that even those who were in the building came out to join the fight. A source reported that the youths later left in a huff after their efforts had been frustrated by the guards who man the offices with the assistance of other provincial members.

Full alphabetical list of reported deaths related to political violence 1 January 2005 to October 31 2005 recorded indicating name, political affiliation, date of death, constituency and province.

TOTAL:4 ZANU PF 2 MDC 1 UNKNOWN 1

The table below and the graphs on page 3 above depict the number of violations committed on the persons whose circumstances are described in the report. One individual may have been subject to many violations and thus appear under several categories of violations.

Monthly totals of human rights violations from 1 January 2005 to 30 September 2005

Administrative Map of ZIMBABWE

Zambia

Mozambique

The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (also known as the “Human Rights Forum”) is a coalition comprising 16 member organisations. It has been in existence since January 1998 when non-Governmental organisations working in the field of human rights joined together to provide legal and psychosocial assistance to the victims of the Food Riots of January 1998.

The Human Rights Forum has now expanded its objectives to assist victims of organised violence, using the following definition:

“Organised violence” means the inter-human infliction of significant avoidable pain and suffering by an organised group according to a declared or implied strategy and/or system of ideas and attitudes. It comprises any violent action, which is unacceptable by general human standards, and relates to the victims’ mental and physical well-being.”

The Human Rights Forum operates a Research and Documentation Unit and offers legal services through the Public Interest Unit of the Legal Resources Foundation (formerly the Legal Unit of the ZHRF.)

Member organisations of the Human Rights Forum are:

• Amnesty International (Zimbabwe) (AI (Z))

• Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP)

• Counselling Services Unit (CSU)

• Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ)

• Human Rights Trust of Southern Africa (SAHRIT)

• Legal Resources Foundation (LRF)

• Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ)

• Nonviolent Action and Strategies for Social Change (NOVASC)

• Transparency International (Zimbabwe) (TI (Z))

• Zimbabwe Association for Crime Prevention and the Rehabilitation of the Offender (ZACRO)

• Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR)

• Zimbabwe Civic Education Trust (ZIMCET)

• Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights)

• Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)

• Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP)

• Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association (ZWLA)

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The Public Interest Unit, P O Box 9077, Harare – email: legal@hrforum.co.zw

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