Zimbabwe: AI Human Rights Concerns 2000-2008
Since 2000 the human rights situation in Zimbabwe has undergone a rapid decline. Following its first major defeat in a national referendum to change the constitution, the government began using its supporters and state agents to pursue a campaign of repression, aimed at eliminating opposition and silencing dissent. Since then, state-sponsored intimidation, arbitrary arrest, torture and attacks on supporters of the political opposition, human rights defenders and the independent media have steadily escalated. During a mission to Zimbabwe in February 2005, Amnesty International researchers gathered evidence of government intimidation and arbitrary arrest of opposition candidates and supporters, manipulation of food distribution for political ends and severe restrictions of freedom of assembly and expression in the period prior to the March 2005 parliamentary elections. Amnesty International concluded that as a result of persistent, long-term and systemic violations of human rights and the government's repeated and deliberate failure to bring to justice those who commit serious human rights violations, not all people in Zimbabwe could participate in the election process freely and without fear. Read more in Zimbabwe: An assessment of human rights violations in the run-up to the March 2005 parliamentary elections and Zimbabwe: The toll of impunity.
As part of its clampdown on dissenting voices, the government has introduced and selectively used legislation to severely restrict the rights of the majority of Zimbabweans to freely associate, assemble and express themselves - rights that are internationally recognized and are cornerstones of any democratic society. These rights are also guaranteed in Zimbabwe's Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. The most controversial pieces of legislation include: the Broadcasting Services Act, the Public Order and Security Act, the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, the Miscellaneous Offences Act, the Electoral Commission Act, the Private Voluntary Organizations Act and the as yet unsigned Non-Governmental Organizations Act. Specific provisions of these laws have been used by the government to narrow the space for open public debate, silence those perceived to be critical of its policies, and to shield itself from domestic and international scrutiny in ways that have been condemned by the African Commission on Human and People's Rights. Read more in Zimbabwe: Rights under siege and Zimbabwe: Human rights defenders under siege.
The escalation in human rights violations has taken place against a backdrop of severe economic decline and acute food shortages. Since 2002 millions of Zimbabweans have been dependent on local and international food aid programs: tens of thousands however are reported to have gone hungry, unable to gain access to food for a variety of reasons. In May 2004, the government stated that the food crisis was over and told the United Nations and international donors that Zimbabwe was no longer in need of general food aid. Although the government of Zimbabwe has a human rights obligation to respect, protect and fulfill the right to adequate food for all persons under its jurisdiction, local and international observers believe that the government has been manipulating the response to the food crisis for political gain and retribution, particularly around elections. Read more in Zimbabwe: Power and hunger - violations of the right to food.
In a devastating development commencing on May 19, 2005, the Government of Zimbabwe orchestrated the forced eviction of hundreds of thousands of informal traders and families living in informal settlements across the country as part of a crackdown called "Operation Murambatsvina" - widely translated as "drive out the rubbish" but being referred to by police as "operation restore order". Evictions have been carried out without notice and without court orders in a flagrant disregard for due process and the rule of law and in blatant contravention of internationally recognized human rights, including those under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. During the forced evictions, police and other members of the security forces have used excessive force -- burning homes destroying property and beating individuals. Amnesty International, along with more than three hundred mostly African non-governmental organizations, has urged the United Nations and African Union to publicly condemn the mass forced evictions that have left whole communities homeless and destroyed thousands of livelihoods and to call for the immediate lifting of all unnecessary restrictions on the provision of humanitarian assistance, including restrictions on the provision of temporary shelter . Read more in the NGO Joint Appeals (16 November 2005) and Zimbabwe: Shattered Lives - the case of Porta farm (March 31, 2006).
More than a year after the start of Operation Murambatsvina, the government has failed to ensure adequate reparations to the victims. The victims’ own efforts to secure effective judicial remedies have been frustrated by the authorities’ repeated disregard of court orders and obstruction of access to the courts. Despite numerous public statements about a reconstruction programme to address the homelessness created by Operation Murambatsvina, almost none of the victims have received any assistance from the government. On the contrary, the government has repeatedly hindered UN efforts to provide emergency shelter and subjected some of the most vulnerable people to repeated forced evictions. Read more in Zimbabwe: No justice for the victims of forced evictions (8 September 2006) and in Zimbabwe: Quantifying destruction - satellite images of forced evictions (8 September 2006).
About 50 activists were arrested at a public meeting in Zimbabwe on 11 March 2007, in defiance of a three-month ban imposed by the authorities. The activists, including leaders of the main opposition party in Zimbabwe -- the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) -- were severely beaten during arrest and some were reported to have been tortured while in police custody. Police shot dead one of the activists, Gift Tandare, the youth chairperson of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) local structure in a Harare suburb. Read more in Calls for investigation into killing of activist and release of peaceful protestors (12 March 2007) and End harassment, torture and intimidation of opposition activists (28 March 2007).
Amnesty International has received numerous reports of continuing police harassment of the political opposition and lawyers. In addition, civil society groups, including the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), the NCA and the women's organization Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), continue to be harassed by state agents as they attempt to carry out their work. AI has written to Zimbabwe's President, Robert Mugabe, and the Minister of Home Affairs, Kembo Mohadi, calling on the government to take effective measures to bring to an end the ongoing and grave human rights violations. Read more in an Open letter from AI's Secretary General Irene Khan to President Robert Mugabe (20 March 2007) and in Zimbabwe: Between a rock and a hard place – women human rights defenders at risk (25 July 2007).
On 29 March 2008, Zimbabweans took part in a general election to elect members of the parliament, local councillors and a president. Official results after a recount confirmed a parliamentary majority for the opposition MDC. The Electoral Act stipulates that if none of the presidential candidates gets more than 50 per cent of the vote, a second round has to be held between the two candidates with the most votes within 21 days. The official announcement of the presidential vote results resulting in a run-off was delayed for more than a month during which time incidents of post-election violence have been widespread, suggesting the existence of coordinated retribution against known and suspected opposition supporters. See Amnesty International calls for an immediate end to political violence; says attacks appear to be coordinated (April 10, 2008). Violence appears to be targeted at active supporters of the MDC and their families, particularly those in rural areas and low income suburbs where the MDC appears to have gained more votes than the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party. Victims report receiving death threats unless they vote "correctly" in a second round of voting. Many of the casualties have seen their homes, food reserves and livestock destroyed and are now displaced. Perpetrators of the violence include so-called "war veterans" and supporters of the ruling party, as well as youth militia, police officers and soldiers. State actors are accused of working hand-in-hand with ZANU-PF supporters. Individuals have been abducted from their homes by members of the military, in uniform and in plain clothes, as well as by ZANU-PF supporters. See Post-Election Violence Increases in Zimbabwe (April 18, 2008) and Open Letter Appeal by the Secretary General of Amnesty International - End State Sponsored Violence in Zimbabwe (April 17, 2008). On April 25, police raided the offices of the Zimbabwe Elections Support Network (ZESN) and of the MDC in Harare. An estimated 375 people were reportedly arrested. Among them were people who had taken refugee at the MDC’s offices after having fled the on-going violence being perpetrated by ZANU-PF supporters and soldiers. See Police raid office of election observers; staff in hiding (April 25, 2008).
Updated: 12 May 2008