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Summary on politically motivated human rights and food related violations - June 2010
Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP)
June 21, 2010

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Summary

This report summarises the human rights violations recorded during the month of June 2010 from the ten provinces of Zimbabwe with a keen interest on breaches of peace that were documented since the beginning of the ongoing Constitutional Parliamentary Select Committee (COPAC) outreach meetings.

The month under review started quietly only to wake up to a wave of intimidation and harassment as the Constitutional Parliamentary Select Committee began its outreach programme in the second half of the month.

This was however, despite spirited calls to shun political violence by the country's main political leaders President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara at the launch of the constitutional outreach programme in Harare on June 16.

The three Principals made commitments that the process must be undertaken in conditions that uphold the principles of inclusivity, tolerance, transparency and openness. They called for peace and non-violence during the public outreach meetings.

Public meetings to gather the views and ideas of Zimbabweans they want included in the new charter failed to kick off as planned in most areas and this resulted in more tension among the communities as political parties continue to push for their views to be included in the new constitution.

Administrative glitches and political intolerance aided to produce chaotic scenes in the consultative meetings that took place in the eight provinces across the country. Cases of politically motivated violence remain high and the atmosphere has remained volatile in the Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Midlands and Masvingo provinces.

Most of the violations that were recorded during the month under review happened during the COPAC outreach meetings. The violations have been mainly before the meetings where villagers would be told to support certain positions and coached on what to say when the COPAC teams arrived.

ZPP reports from monitors also point to retributive violations where people are interrogated and harassed for not heeding the calls to support certain political party positions at the outreach meetings.

Of great concern again, are high reports of "coaching" on what to say at outreach meetings, which have remained pronounced in most rural parts from the eight provinces.

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