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Summary on politically-motivated human rights and food-related violations - July 2011
Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP)
August 30, 2011

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Summary

Despite a significant decline in incidents of politically motivated human rights violations during the month July to 910 from the 1 014 witnessed in June, political tensions and intolerance have remained very high across the country.

Over the past four years, the highest number of violations during the month of July was witnessed in 2009 when there were 1 335 cases a figure which was slightly higher than the 1 333 in July 2008 a month after the inconclusive Presidential Election Run-off. The violations eased significantly in July 2010 with 884 cases being recorded.

Cases of politically motivated violence remain high and the atmosphere has remained volatile in the Midlands, Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, and Masvingo provinces. Zanu PF supporters have been accused of leading political violence in the many incidents that were recorded during the month.

There were also reports of inter and intra party fighting from across the country within Zanu PF and the MDC-T. The infighting within Zanu PF has been ongoing as new candidates are facing stiff resistance from the party's heavy weights in the fight to represent the party during the next general elections.

State security agents and in particular members of the police force and soldiers were accused of partisan application of the law during the course of their work. This was evidenced in the manner in which police officers reacted to the disruptions of public hearings on the proposed Zimbabwe Human Rights Bill in Chinhoyi, Masvingo, Mutare and Harare. The police failed to arrest even a single demonstrator during the disturbances that occurred at Parliament Building in Harare.

However, the police were swift to arrest 13 Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) activists who were demonstrating outside the High Court in protest of the continued detention of MDC-T activists accused of murdering a police inspector Petros Mutedza in Glen View in May. The "terror bases" that were used by Zanu PF militias in the run up to the 2008 presidential run-off to terrorise and maim then suspected opposition supporters and officials have been re-established. Mashonaland Central Province has witnessed the re-surfacing of Zanu PF youth bases following a series of MDC-T rallies that were conducted throughout the country.

It has also been noted that the State has failed to respond to the "terror bases" that have already been set up in Manicaland and Mashonaland Central that were recorded since the beginning of the year. Interesting to note is that some of the bases in Mutare have been reported to be manned by war veterans and serving members of the Zimbabwe national Army (ZNA).

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