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Political violence report - May 2009
Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum
June 30, 2009

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Overview

Despite the signing of the Global Political Agreement (GPA), little progress has been made in the protection and promotion of human rights in Zimbabwe as seen by the sustained levels of violence from month to month. This report comes a year after the 27 June 2008 Presidential Election Run-off that saw some of the worst politically motivated violence the country has witnessed since independence. Alarmingly, to date, violations reminiscent in nature to those that occurred in 2008 pre and post the harmonised elections continue to be witnessed in some parts of the country.

Some reports received by the Human Rights Forum indicate that ZANU PF bases that were used as places to torture and maim supporters and purported supporters of the MDC during the electoral violence that engulfed most parts of the country in 2008, are still operational or re-activated. These bases continue to be used to harbour perpetrators of politically motivated violence. The continued existence of these bases raises fears of resurgence in violence especially in the rural areas that were also the most affected by the violence in 2008.

Suspicion and mistrust across the political divide have fuelled violence in many communities. This report documents the assault of two MDC members by ZANU PF supporters on suspicion that they had attended a meeting at which they were plotting to carry out retributive attacks on ZANU PF supporters who had been involved in the 2008 violence. Also documented in this report is the attack on ZANU PF supporters by MDC supporters in Buhera in retribution for the 2008 electoral violence. The inter-party violence that continues to take place around the country is a sign of the urgent need for national healing and justice for the victims of politically motivated violence.

The harassment and intimidation of human rights and MDC activists in the month of May was persistent. The arrest of human rights lawyer Alec Muchadehama and the re-arrest of the Director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), Jestina Mukoko and 17 others after their indictment are cases in point. Mukoko and the 17 others are facing charges of "banditry and sabotage". The harassment of journalists, especially those from the private media, also continued with the arrest of Vincent Kahiya and Constantine Chimakure of the Zimbabwe Independent on allegations of "publishing falsehoods". The victimisation of human rights practitioners, journalists and MDC activists is worrying especially at a time when the political leadership of the country, even at the highest level, has expressed their commitment to the implementation of the GPA.

This report includes an incident of police violence in a civil case that cannot be categorised as political violence but shows the alarming practice of the use of violence by the police, presumably to punish or extract confessions from the accused. The Human Rights Forum continues to call upon the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to abide by set international standards of policing and to protect the rights of all citizens regardless of their political, economic or social standing.

Property rights continued to be trampled upon in the month of May, with some reported violence and property destruction on commercial farms. Farm workers and their families continue to bear the brunt of this violence and as documented in this report, two farm workers were assaulted at Karori Farm for refusing to cooperate with Brigadier General Mujaji who has occupied the farm. At Mount Carmel Farm suspected war veterans also assaulted another worker and his wife as punishment for continuing to work for the owners of the farm.

Although the total number of violations recorded in May is significantly lower than those in April, the trends of violence have remained predominantly the same. May recorded a total of 103 violations as compared to 204 in April. No cases of torture were recorded in May. There was a significant decrease in the number of violations of the freedom of expression, association and movement. This can be attributed to a reduction in civic activities carried out during the month. WOZA and MOZA managed to hold a peaceful protest on 18 May in which no arrests were reported. There was also a significant reduction in the number of cases of unlawful arrests and unlawful detentions recorded in May compared to those in April. April recorded 41 as compared to 22 in May.

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