SummaryOn July 21, 2008 President Robert Mugabe, leader of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union–Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), and Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Zimbabwe’s capital Harare, paving the way for talks to resolve the country’s political impasse. President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, appointed by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to help address Zimbabwe’s ongoing political crisis, is facilitating the talks between the two political parties. Mbeki is expected to brief SADC leaders on the progress of the talks at the annual SADC summit in Sandton, South Africa on August 16 and 17. The summit provides SADC leaders with an opportunity to effectively press Zimbabwe’s leadership to address crucial human rights issues prior to any transitional government arising from the current negotiations. Human Rights Watch believes that no durable solution to the political crisis in Zimbabwe can be found unless the human rights violations that are at the root cause of the crisis are addressed. The government of Zimbabwe and its proxy forces of youth militia1 and “war veterans”2 have committed and continue to commit serious crimes in the context of general elections that took place on March 29, 2008, and the presidential runoff of June 27. This report follows Human Rights Watch’s June 9 report, “Bullets for Each of You”: State-Sponsored Violence since Zimbabwe’s March 29 Elections, which gave a comprehensive account of government-sponsored abuses that took place in the aftermath of the March 29 general elections. This report is based on eyewitness accounts from newly elected MDC Members of Parliament (MPs), councilors, activists, perceived MDC supporters and others to demonstrate the serious nature of abuses committed by ZANU-PF supporters and government-backed youth militia and “war veterans” in the weeks leading up to the June 27 presidential runoff. These abuses include killings, beatings, abductions and torture. This report also describes abuses by ZANU-PF that continue to take place despite ongoing negotiations between the two parties. Hundreds of MDC activists who fled the violence in the weeks before the June 27 runoff remain in hiding while “war veterans” and youth militia continue to terrorize villagers in the rural areas. According to local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), ZANU-PF and its allies have been implicated in the killing of at least 163 people and the beating and torture of more than 5,000 people over the past three months. Thirty-two of these people were killed after the June 27 runoff, and two since the two parties signed the Memorandum of Understanding. The government has made little effort to dismantle the torture camps and bases that it established in the immediate aftermath of the March 29 elections. The continued existence of these camps and armed ZANU-PF supporters, youth militia and “war veterans” raises the possibility of further violence and highlights the precarious nature of the human rights situation in the country. Abuses continue to take place with almost total impunity. Serious crimes are committed without investigation, prosecution or legal redress or compensation for the victims. Police have taken little or no substantial action to investigate the abuses documented in this report. To Human Rights Watch’s knowledge no alleged perpetrators have been questioned or arrested despite victims and witnesses naming them as the abusers. Instead, the police have embarked on a witch-hunt of elected MDC MPs with at least 12 facing what Human Rights Watch believes to be politically motivated criminal charges. The government of Zimbabwe has also failed to investigate, let alone prosecute, ZANU-PF officials and army officers who allegedly planned, coordinated, and implemented or were otherwise implicated in the serious crimes that have taken place since March 29. The lack of justice and accountability for serious crimes is of grave concern and should be a priority for all those involved in the ongoing talks. Zimbabwe’s longstanding history of impunity for such crimes should not be ignored in the name of political expediency, and should be immediately addressed by the political parties with the help of SADC and the African Union. Continuing government restrictions on the distribution of humanitarian assistance including food aid and treatment for people living with AIDS by local and international agencies have had a devastating impact on people in the rural areas of Zimbabwe with millions of people in need of food aid. In the past the government has used food aid as a political weapon to discriminate against opposition supporters. The current suspension points to continuing attempts by the government to control the distribution of humanitarian assistance and deny it to perceived supporters of the MDC. The continuing violence, repression and suspension of humanitarian aid by ZANU-PF shows the absence of good faith in which Mugabe and ZANU-PF are participating in the current talks. The appalling human rights conditions also call into question ZANU-PF’s credibility as a political partner. The political crisis calls for more than mere facilitation by Thabo Mbeki; it requires strong and principled action by SADC leaders and SADC as an institution. SADC leaders should make it clear to Mugabe and ZANU-PF that a resolution to the crisis can only be reached if his government acts immediately to end human rights violations. The government of Zimbabwe must make concrete commitments and take clear action to improve human rights conditions on the ground if the people of Zimbabwe are to have any confidence in the political negotiations. SADC should insist on a full program of human rights reform as a part of any negotiations towards a transitional government and on measurable human rights progress. If the government of Zimbabwe fails to initiate these measures, SADC should consider excluding Zimbabwe from any future summits and meetings of the regional body. Human Rights Watch urges SADC leaders to call on the government of Zimbabwe to take the following measures without delay:
1 The youth militia, also known in Zimbabwe as “green bombers” because they often wear olive green military fatigues, are part of a government-run National Youth Service Program. According to the government, the program is aimed at training youths to be good citizens and to take part in community services initiatives. 2 Many of the “war veterans” implicated in recent abuses are believed to be individuals hired by the government to commit abuses under the guise of “war veterans.” Many are too young to be genuine war veterans or have fought during Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle in the 1970s. However, Human Rights Watch’s evidence indicates that these fake “war veterans” are being led by genuine war veterans who fought during the liberation struggle. |