Zimbabwe: 2008 Post-harmonised election violence (continued)

According to the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU 2008a), protests by over 600 students on 7 May at Chinhoyi University, demanding that President Mugabe step down, were violently broken up by riot police and five student leaders were arrested. On 9 May ZINASU (2008b) reported that ZINASU's Information Secretary was kidnapped by war veterans on 8 May, the ZINASU Legal and Academic Secretary at Great Zimbabwe University (Masvingo) had been arrested and four of the leaders arrested after the Chinhoyi University demonstration remained in custody without being charged.

The General Agriculture and Plantation Workers' Union of Zimbabwe (GAPWUZ 2008) reported on 8 May that since election day 39 752 farm workers had been driven from the land by violence organised by ZANU-PF and supported by the police and the military. Victims of violence had been denied access to healthcare, 400 families been left without shelter and many rural workers had fled into the mountains.

On 9 May ZADHR (2008) reported 900 documented victims of organised violence and torture but said: "This figure grossly underestimates the number of victims presenting countrywide as the violence is now on such a scale that it is impossible to properly document all cases. There have been 22 confirmed deaths but at least double that number have been reported but are yet to be confirmed". The report added that healthcare professionals were being intimidated and prevented from treating victims. Moreover, they assessed the scale of the violence as being more intense and unrestrained than that observed during the 2002 presidential election. Their documentation indicated that the violence was directed at opposition supporters and members, election observers, school teachers and, on occasion, policemen. The principle perpetrators were identified as "war veterans, armed security force members or Zanu PF youth militia or varying combinations of the three", though acts of defensive and retaliatory violence had also been documented.

A statement issued by ZPP (2008a) identified the same victims as ZADHR, but added:

Groups made up of soldiers, war veterans, youth militias are camping at specific places from where they convene meetings and those targeted are named and justice is meted in the presence of the community. In some instances whole homesteads and targeted huts are set on fire. In some cases livestock is being destroyed and the case in point is Uzumba. While in detention the victims are forced to denounce their parties and they are assaulted with fists booted feet and logs while they sleep heads down.

On 7 May a prominent human rights lawyer, Harrison Nkomo, was arrested for insulting the president and was released on bail on 9 May (Reporters Without Borders 2008). On 8 May the editor of The Standard, Davison Maruziva, was arrested for "publishing falsehoods prejudicial to the state" and released on bail the following day (Reporters Without Borders 2008). On 15 May Student Solidarity Trust (2008) reported that the President and Secretary General of the Zimbabwe Concress of Trade Unions had been arrested for anti-government speeches made on May Day, and had been held without bail for over a week. They were subsequently released on bail on 19 May (Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition 2008).

Violence throughout the rural areas continued unabated throughout May, judging by the flood of reports from various NGOs across the country. Bases continued to be established by ZANU-PF aligned youth, militias and war veterans, often with the acquiescence or support of security forces, especially the military and the CSO. A few bases were been forced to close, however, mainly as a result of resistance from the local population and violence in those areas subsequently receded (Bulawayo Agenda 2008a; Bulawayo Agenda 2008b). In one case a base in Gokwe Chireya was destroyed by MDC youth on 12 May and the occupants assaulted and forced to flee, while another in West Nicholson was dismantled after people in the area complained to the police of severe beatings administered to them by its occupants (ZPP 2008b; Bulawayo Agenda 2008b). These isolated instances aside, the bases continued to be the centre of operations for the intimidation of the civilian population in their areas in the second half of May 2008.

References

BULAWAYO AGENDA 2008a "The Daily Agenda", 21 May.

BULAWAYO AGENDA 2008b "The Daily Agenda", 22 May.

CRISIS IN ZIMBABWE COALITION 2008 "ZCTU leaders released" 19 May, [www] http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/hr/080519ciz.asp?spec_code=080416peviodex &sector=ELEC&year=0&range_start=1&intMainYear=0&intTodayYear=2008 [opens new window] (accessed 5 Mar 2010).

GAPWUZ 2008 "Terror on the farms", 7 May, [www] http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/agric/080507gapwuz.asp?sector=AGRIC [opens new window] (accessed 5 Mar 2010).

REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS 2008 "Editor of independent weekly freed on bail", 13 May, [www] http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=26935 [opens new window] (accessed 5 Mar 2010).

STUDENT SOLIDARITY TRUST 2008 "No to victimization of ZCTU leadership", 15th May, [www] http://www.zimbabwejournalists.com/story.php?art_id=4134&cat=4 [opens new window] (accessed 5 Mar 2010).

ZADHR 2008 "Escalating cases of organised violence and torture, and of intimidation of medical personnel", 8 May, [www] http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/hr/080509zadhr.asp?sector=HR [opens new window] (accessed 5 Mar 2010).

ZINASU 2008a "Students protest on Chinhoyi University campus", 7 May, [www] http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/edutra/080507zinasu.asp?spec_code=080121 elecdex&sector=ELEC&year=0&range_start=1&intMainYear=0&intTodayYear=2008 [opens new window] (accessed 5 Mar 2010).

ZINASU 2008b "Student victimization alarming", 9 May, [www] http://www.kubatana.net/ html/archive/edutra/080509zinasu.asp?spec_code=080121elecdex&sector=ELEC&year= 0&range_start=1&intMainYear=0&intTodayYear=2008 [opens new window] (accessed 5 Mar 2010).

ZPP 2008a "ZPP monitors post-election violence", 8 May, [www] http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/elec/080508zpp.asp?sector=ELEC [opens new window] (accessed 5 Mar 2010).

ZPP 2008b "Information Alert 10", 16 May.