Zimbabwe: Human rights up to 2002

Updated April 2005

In the lead up to the presidential elections in 2002 reports of violence against opposition party supporters and members, and against human rights activists, were rife.

The Government programme to return settler occupied land to the indigenous people was advanced through the forceful eviction of white farmers led by veterans of the independence war.

The Government frequently rejected decisions made by the courts and refused to abide by their rulings. The media reported instances of the government putting pressure on judges to rule in particular ways. After a public spat with the President over judicial independence the Chief Justice resigned in protest.

In 2000 and 2001 newspapers independent of government control were subjected to bomb attacks of offices and presses by people who were never apprehended. Mob attacks occurred involving the destruction of newspapers during distribution and the physical assault of journalists. These were accompanied by allegations by government members and senior officials that independent journalists were lackeys of foreign powers and that their work amounted to treason (Kubatana.net 2001 & 2004).

Using existing laws, the government deported foreign human rights activists, threatened local activists with jailing and NGO's with closure (for not disclosing donor sources).

Political opponents were arrested on criminal charges that had little prospect for success, but kept them tied up in legal proceedings. Murders and kidnappings of opposition supporters were not investigated and the police themselves were accused of torture, rape and murder.

The land reform programme led to a decline in food production and foreign exchange earnings at a time when Southern Africa was experiencing severe drought, leading to acute food shortages and the spectre of famine. The government outlawed private food relief efforts and used state run relief programmes to reward perceived supporters and punish opponents.

Failure to take action against politically motivated crimes, and crimes committed by state-backed war veterans forwarded a climate of impunity. Human rights atrocities committed during the conflict with ZAPU PF supporters in the previous decade went largely unpunished.

Presidential statements at times exacerbated relations between the African community and the European ethnic minority. All acts of domestic dissent and criticism were attributed to front-men for neo-colonial foreign backers, so bringing the patriotism and good faith of dissenters into question.

Prison Conditions were harsh and even life threatening, due to overcrowding and inadequate sanitation.

References

KUBATANA.NET 2001, "Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Bill: Media and Information Commission", [www] http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/demgg/011130atoi7.asp?sector=DEMGG&range_start=1 [opens new window] (accessed 30 Oct 2007).

KUBATANA.NET 2004, "The Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Two Years On", [www] http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/legisl/041027article19.asp?sector=LEGISL&range_start=31 [opens new window] (accessed 30 Oct 2007).