|
Back to Index
ZPP
Monthly Monitor - June
Zimbabwe
Peace Project (ZPP)
July 26, 2012
Download
this document
- Acrobat
PDF version (781KB)
If you do not have the free Acrobat reader
on your computer, download it from the Adobe website by clicking
here
Executive
Summary
Politically
motivated human rights violations continued on a downward trend
during the month of June as the talk for elections this year seemed
to have calmed down following the SADC decision to have the elections
after the completion of a new constitution. The SADC also called
on the parties to the inclusive
government to fully implement the Global
Political Agreement before the holding of elections.
Harassment and
intimidation were the most common type of violations being recorded.
Drought which has ravaged the southern parts of the country and
the resultant food crisis was a major source of conflict.
People residing
the affected areas which are mainly in Masvingo, Manicaland, Midlands,
Matabeleland North and South provinces are facing starvation while
the government controlled Grain loan scheme is being compromised
by political interference with ZANU-PF supporters hijacking the
distribution of the food aid to punish their political opponents.
The impasse
between cotton farmers and buyers precipitated by low prices of
cotton on the international market has led to serious politically
motivated human rights violations after it was politicized by ZANU-PF
in Midlands, Mashonaland West and Central.
The party allegedly
imposed an embargo on the sale of cotton: blaming the MDC-T for
influencing white owners of the Cotton ginneries to offer low prices
so as to punish newly resettled farmers. Poor cotton farmers who
dared to sell their cotton in order to support their families were
labelled 'sell-outs' and attacked for breaking the embargo.
A farmer in
Muzarabani, Mashonaland Central was abducted and assaulted, leaving
him seriously injured. The victim was attacked for allegedly selling
his cotton produce at a price of 45 cents per kilogram to a private
company.
The operating
environment remains stable but security agents continue to harass
civic activists.
An analysis
of the violations trends during the month of June over the past
five years reveals that the month has always had high figures of
politically motivated human rights violations compared to the other
months.
It was in June
2008 that the country witnessed one of its saddest
chapters when horrific politically motivated human rights abuses
were witnessed across the country during the infamous one-man Presidential
run-off election campaign. Memories of that horrendous period still
haunt the national psyche and 'June 27' remains a byword
for violence and terror in Zimbabwe.
The highest
number of violations during the month of June was witnessed in 2008
when 3 758 cases were recorded.
The violations
remained very high in June 2009 when 1 558 cases were witnessed.
Politically motivated human rights violations eased a bit in June
2010 to 913 cases only to increase in June 2011 to 1 014as the Zanu
PF anti-sanctions petition campaign moved to other parts of the
country.
Although the
number of violations witnessed in June 2012 is a bit low, cases
of politically motivated violence remain high and the atmosphere
has remained volatile in the Midlands, Manicaland and Masvingo provinces
with a significant rise in Mashonaland West Province. Although incidents
of the politicization of food aid remain very low, the situation
on the ground show that people's rights will be violated as
they seek food aid as a result of the drought and a poor food security
situation.
Download
full document
Visit the ZPP
fact
sheet
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|
