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Period Covered
This report
examines the nature and causes of political violence in Zimbabwe during
the period from 1 June 2001 to 30 June 2002, and attempts to identify
those who were responsible for it. The report is based on more than 900
victims’ statements. The Human Rights NGO Forum has done what it can to
verify these statements and is satisfied that the vast majority of them
are substantially true. The Forum believes they must be published in the
public interest.
Background
The background
to the report covers the period from the national referendum in early
2000 to the Presidential Election in March 2002 and the post-election
reprisals against opposition party members.
Internationally accepted
notions of what constitutes torture and organized violence have been used,
defined and illustrated.
Methodology
This report
has made use of two main sources of information. Just over half of the
information is derived from statements given by victims directly to the
Legal Unit of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum, while the remainder comes
from statements obtained by the Forum’s partner organisations. Ninety-five
per cent of the cases used in this report are reports made by the victims
themselves, either to the Forum or its partner organisations.
Statistics of Violence
Statistics
of the violence reflect gender analysis, areas where the violence occurred,
including the date of the incident and the type of violence used. Again,
the methods used are described in detail. It is noted that torture was
by far the most frequent form of violence employed.
Militia Bases
Reference
is made to the militia bases alleged to have been set-up by ZANU PF supporters
and "war veterans". Of the 978 victims whose cases are examined
in this report, 10% (98) alleged that they were abducted to a base in
their area.
Appendixes
Appendixes
to the report contain lists of alleged violators, taken from published
and unpublished sources, as well as a list of politically-motivated murders
committed during the period under review, and a list of militia bases.
Commentary
Only 1.4
per cent of the victims were politically affiliated to ZANU PF. The rest
of the victims were supporters of the opposition MDC; those of unknown
political affiliation and those who were apolitical. Victims allege that
they were attacked either for being MDC members or supporters or because
they were suspected of being MDC supporters. It was both difficult and
risky to be apolitical in the period under review.
The victims’ of political
violence can be broken down as follows:
MDC supporters – 51%;
Non-aligned or apolitical victims – 47.6%; and ZANU PF supporters – 1.4%
In the report "Are
They Accountable? Examining alleged violators and their violations pre
and post the Presidential Election March 2002", the Zimbabwe Human
Rights NGO Forum maintains the following:
- The problem of
politically motivated violence in Zimbabwe is NOT a black on
white war based on the redistribution of land and its ownership. There
is a unanimous consensus on the need for a land reform and land redistribution
exercise, but the country remains seriously divided on the means and
methods of achieving this goal.
- The problem, rather,
is an intolerance of and lack of respect for political pluralism. While
there is violence on commercial farms affecting both commercial farmers
and farm workers; the majority of violence is taking place in communal
areas and high-density urban areas.
- The Government
conducted a Presidential election shrouded in allegations of rigging
and violence; which election on the whole received adverse international
observer reports that the polls were not free and fair.
- For the better
part of the 13 months under review, there have been high levels of political
violence, with all available evidence indicating that, although not
the sole perpetrators, Zanu PF supporters have been the major perpetrators
of gross human rights abuses against members of opposition political
parties or ordinary citizens. The level of violence rose steadily between
June 2001 and December 2001. In January 2002, when campaigning in the
Presidential election intensified, there was a sharp increase in violence.
This increase continued for the next two months, with February and March
recording all-time highs.
- The passing of
a General Amnesty for "politically-motivated crimes" committed
in the pre-election period in 2000 imbued the climate of impunity. Clemency
Order No. 1 of 2000 pardoned any politically motivated crime excluding
murder, rape, robbery, indecent assault, statutory rape, theft and possession
of arms. Those persons who committed politically motivated crimes such
as assault, torture, abduction and arson were therefore pardoned.
- Following an open
declaration of support for the ruling party by the leadership of the
Zimbabwe Republic Police there appears to be consequent tolerance of
criminal acts perpetrated by Government supporters.
- There have been
sustained, verbal and physical, attacks upon media practitioners and
their private property with allegations that law enforcement agents
are uncooperative in bringing perpetrators to book. The recent enactment
of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) has
effectually suppressed the right to freedom of expression by journalists
and civil society through the direct control of journalistic activity
through the office of the Ministry of Information in the President’s
office.
- There have been
sustained attacks on certain members of the judiciary by some Government
ministers and legislators and there is a general increasing perception
that the bench is being politicized.
- There have been
assertions by the President, Government Ministers, ZANU PF supporters
and militia leaders that they will not abide by unfavourable decisions
of the courts.
- There has been
continuous victimization, on political grounds, of opposition party
supporters and civil servants and some specious prosecution of both
entities.
- Claims by Government
that it is adhering to principles of democracy and human rights have
been continuously undermined by the persistent action against all and
any opposition voices and a clamp down on freedom of expression.
- The infrequent
periods during which the scale of political violence declined do not
overshadow the fact that all forms of torture and deprivation of property
rights, even at these times, constituted gross human rights violations.
The Zimbabwe Human
Rights NGO Forum condemns the continued violence and the attempts to erode
the basic freedoms of citizens and civil society organizations in Zimbabwe
and: -
- urges the Zimbabwean
Government to acknowledge the crisis in the country and take steps to
remedy the situation. We hereby exhort the Government to ensure a swift
and determined return to the rule of law and an end to the political
violence;
- calls on African
Governments to recognise the crisis in Zimbabwe as a crisis affecting
ordinary Zimbabweans and acknowledge that it is not a black on white
war over land redistribution. The problem has long extended far beyond
that and needs to be addressed urgently on a national scale to find
a long-term and peaceful solution.
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