In the News


                    Courtesy of CNN

The Elections:

Zimbabwe has drawn international attention during this past month as it prepares for presidential elections to be held between March 9th and 10th.  Under the authoritarian leadership of Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe has increasingly suffered economic and political instability.

January 28, 2002
"EU gives Mugabe last chance" CNN

At a meeting in Brussels, European Union ministers concluded that they would "impose targeted sanctions" on Zimbabwe if President Robert Mugabe did not accept EU election monitors and free press within his country or if the human rights abuses increase.  The EU leaders fear that Mugabe's regime will destroy the opposition and manipulate the elections in order for him to maintain power.  Britain, the former colonial power of Zimbabwe, has proposed sanctions on the leaders of ZANU-PF and discussed the suspension of Zimbabwe from the group, if Mugabe does not consent.  The European officials do not want to see economic sanctions on the people of Zimbabwe as they already suffer from economic depression, political corruption, and human rights violations.

February 2, 2002
"Mugabe sets a racial tone for Zimbabwe election campaign" The Guelph Mercury (Toronto)
Article Courtesy of Lexis-Nexis

Robert Mugabe, in one of his first rallies, declares that the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change party, Morgan Tsvingirai is supporting "all things white."  Mugabe, a socialist, claims that his opposition promotes Western economic values and an orderly "redistribution" of the coveted farmlands now owned by whites.

February 4, 2002
"Britain, US tracking down Zimbabwe's leaders' assets" BBC courtesy of Zimbabwe Standard

The United States and Britain have taken action to identify and freeze the assets of a list of twenty Zimbabwean leaders, topped by Robert Mugabe.  The United States House of Representatives passed the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act, whichs allows the sacntions of leaders.  Three of the leaders on the list died, but their assets and their families will remain on the list of Politically Exposed Persons (PEP).  Officials behind the sanctions say that it will be difficult to find the relationships between the individuals and their assets.

February 4, 2002
"Opposition Launches Campaign" (Various News Agencies)

Reports from various international new agencies reported the announcement of Morgan Tsvingirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, of his official campaign.  Morgan came out on the platform that the army and police would keep their jobs if he is elected in March.

February 5, 2002
"First batch of international election observers arrive in Zimbabwe" (Deutsche Presse)

Two small groups of election observers flew from London to Harare where they will stay for the month to monitor the election campaign.  The number of observers in Zimbabwe by the time of the March election is expected to be 160.  The government has refused allowing British observers in the attend because it is feared that they are trying to oust Mugabe.  Also mentioned were the deaths of three members of the opposition, the Movement for Democratic Change party, by youth militia of Mugabe's group, ZANU-PF.

February 6, 2002
"Zimbabwe changes 'colonial names' of 204 schools" (Deutsche Presse)

The names of 204 schools were changed under a ruling by the government and executed by the Minister of Education, Aeneas Chigwedere.  Although Zimbabwean schools suffer from lack of funds for essentials like books and desks and more than "80 per cent of Zimbabwe's 13 million inhabitants live below the poverty line."

February 21, 2002
"Sanctions Could Split ZANU-PF Wide Open" (The Financial Gazette)
Article Courtesy of Lexis-Nexis

Punitive sanctions were placed on President Robert Mugabe and his cronies this past week.  Mugabe used the "sanctions for propoganda purposes to further highlight his self-styled image of being the defender of black independence against Western domination."  The EU hopes that the sanctions will have ramifications on the lifestyles of Mugabe's higher ranks who vacation in Europe and wear designer clothing while the people of Zimbabwe face extreme poverty.  It is hoped that the sanctions will lead to tension and revolts within Mugabe's ZANU-PF party.  Likewise, Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders, currently supporting Mugabe, "would desert him if only to save their own political skins."  The SADC and the OAU are observing the elections.  As Mugabe said he will not budge as a result of the sanctions, the EU will be forced to expand the limited sanctions to an embargo, which will unfortunately hurt the people more than the leaders.

February 22, 2002
"EU Blunder in Zimbabwe" (Global News Wire)

Mugabe was able to "out-manoeuvre" the EU this week as he refused to let Swedish election observer, Pierre Schori, remain in Zimbabwe.  Mugabe claimed that there was a predisposed bias because Schori was part of the minority that did not approve of the last elections.  In addition, Sweden has been hosting workshops for Mugabe's opposition, the Movement for Democratic Change, in South Africa.  It was noted that even with observers from the EU, it would be impossible to stop the political intimidation leading up to the elections.  "However, it is also accepted that the presence of observers, especially in the more remote rural areas, would make obvious rigging difficult."  Human rights organizations in the country have reported that roadblocks throughout the country "have been confiscating the identity cards of people" who are associated with the opposition party, leaving them unable to vote.

February 28, 2002
"EU Chief Observer Says Political Violence Rising in Zimbabwe" (Agence France Presse)

According to Pierre Schori, the EU observer expelled from Zimbabwe last week, the political violence in the country is greater today than when he observed the elections two years ago.  He noted that this was partly due to the spread of violence from the rural areas to the urban setting.  In addition, he told the International Herald Tribune,"Freedom of the media and the rights of citizens to freely express their views have been drastically restrained by new laws, just in time for the elections."

March 3, 2002
"Mugabe Wants Peaceful Election in Zimbabwe" (Xinhua News Agency)
Article Courtesy of Lexis-Nexis

In a speech in Harare, President Mugabe stated that he and his ZANU-PF party "want the elections to held in peace, that is why we are restraining ourselves."  He continued by adding that "crime cannot be allowed to thrive in Zimbabwe."  These statements follow Mugabe's early campaign promises to feed every person in Zimbabwe.

March 6, 2002
"Zimbabwe's ties with EU: from bad to worse" (Agence France Presse)

The relationship between Zimbabwe and the European Union has slowly unraveled.  Within the past two years, the EU has charged Zimbabwe with human rights abuses against white farmers and unfair elections in 2000.  The final blow came when the EU placed targeted sanctions on Mugabe and his party leaders last month.  The EU subsequently removed all of its election observers, even those that were invited by Mugabe.  Zimbabwe and the EU are "linked by the June 2000 Cotonou Agreement" which provide for economic and political relations between the former colonies and the countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.  The EU is the "source of two-thirds of the international aid that comes into the country.  EU member states import an average of 750 million euros of goods a year from Zimbabwe."  However, the agreement also underscores the importance of democracy and human rights.  As a result of the removal of EU observers, Norway, a non-member, will be the only European country observing the elections.

March 12, 2002
"White Zimbabweans accused of bribing voters" (CNN)

Twelve white farmers in rural Zimbabwe were charged with corruption as it was reported that they offered polling officials food and money in hopes that they would swing votes.  The whites are said to be supporters of the opposition party.  The farmers were charged in court of bribing officials and also of possession of an illegal radio.  They were released on bail and ordered to surrender their passports.

Zanu-PF supporters celebrate Mugabe's victory in the polls.
Mugabe won 56 percent to 42 percent over Morgan Tsvangirai.







March 17, 2002
"Defiant Mugabe calls poll victory a 'blow to imperialism'" (Agence France Presse)

Robert Mugabe "shrugged off Western condemnation of the election that returned him to power, saying that the Zimbabwean people had 'dealt a stunning blow to imperialism.'"  Throughout his campaign, Mugabe promoted himself as the saviour of blacks in Zimbabwe.  He used the sanctions targeted at himself and his cronies as a campaign platform against the imposing West.  During his inauguration, which was not recognized by Western nations, Mugabe assured his followers that he would reclaim the land from white farmers.  Mugabe stated that further land reforms would provide jobs and economic power to blacks.  However, the country is in the worst economic state since Mugabe's rise to power 22 years ago.  Ironically, Mugabe was sworn into office by a "white-wigged, red-gowned chief justice," an obivious remnant of the colonial rule that Mugabe is so opposed to. Unlike the West, African countries, the OAU and SADC, have recognized Mugabe's vicotry.

March 18, 2002
"White Farmer shot dead in Zimbabwe" (Agence France Presse)

Terry Ford, a white farmer was found dead Monday morning.  The suspects are militant war veterans in support of Mugabe's land reform.  In Mugabe's campaign to redistribute white-owned farm land, "about 27 million acres has been targeted for resettlement."  Including Ford, eight white farmers have been killed "since the war veterans began forcibly occupying white farms in February of 2000."

March 20, 2002
"African 'brothers' deliver sharpest sting to Mugabe: Nigeria and South Africa:
Commonwealth rebuke 'sets a new bar' for democracy" (National Post)
Article Courtesy of Lexis-Nexis

Olusegun Obasanjo, President of Nigeria and Thabo Mbeki, President of South Africa, contributed to the decision to suspend Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth.  The Commonwealth consists of Britain and all its former colonies.  The leaders joined the Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, in the decision-making process.  Mr. Howard's contribution is the least significant in the eyes of Mugabe as Australia is acts as a puppet for Britain.  The African nations, however, hurt Mugabe's effort to unite black Africa against Western ideals.  Both leaders, in a meeting with Mugabe before the election, urged the leader to form a unified government that included his opposition, Morgan Tsvangirai.  South Africa and Nigeria themselves have been suspended from the Commonwealth, the former during apartheid and the later for the behavior of its military rulers.  Pakistan and Fiji are the other two nations that have been suspended.


Photos courtesy of CNN

March 21, 2002
"Opposition leader charged with treason: Zimbabwe's Tsvangirai accused in alleged plot to kill Mugabe" (The Daily Telegraph)

Following Zimbabwe's suspension from the Commonwealth, President Mugabe tried to "reassert" his power by deploying police to disrupt a general strike.  The strikers were members of the trade union, an association of the MDC party.  The leader of the MDC, Morgan Tsvangirai was charged with treason earlier in the day over an alleged assassination plot against Mugabe.  Tsvangirai was said to have been at meeting, secretly videotaped, with a Montreal political group discussing the assassination of Mugabe.  The videotape was was broadcast nationally be Mugabe, though Tsvangirai has denied all charges.  Tsvangirai was released on $30,000 bail.  U.S. State Department spokesman, Richard Boucher called this act, "the latest example of a kind of retaliation against opposition and supporters that we're seeing under way in the afternath of the election."  Since the elction, five oppostion supporters have been killed.

March 21, 2002
"Mugabe tightens curb on opposition leader" (New York Times)

Morgan Tsvangirai was ordered to report to police headquarters in Harare where he was subsequently stripped of his passport.  In addition, the opposition leader must report for weekly check at the police station until he is officially charged for treason.
 

March 22, 2002
"Zimbabwe seeks to stave of starvation" (CNN)

Agriculture Minister Joseph Made stated on Friday that Zimbabwe seeks to import food to aid starvation caused by drought and political problems.  Kenya, Brazil, and Argentina will send a combined 200,000 tons of corn to Zimbabwe and the country hopes to import a total of 1.5 million tons of food within the next year.  The food shortage is primarily blamed on the occupation of most farm land by white settlers.  Therefore, there is little employment for blacks.  The main cash crop of the country, tobacco, declined in production by 30 percent this year.

March 25, 2002
Zimbabwe's opposition details fraud claims in presidential poll (Agence France Presse)

The leader of the MDC, Morgan Tsvangirai, rejected the results of the presidential elections.  A report released this week by President Mugabe's opposition highlights the unfair process of the elections.  The MDC claims that ballots were stuffed in support of Mugabe and there were attacks on poll observers.  In addition, the MDC found that the number of votes tallied at the polls were significantly different than the number reported by Mugabe.  "According to the party's count, 185,961 ballots went missing in 48 constituencies. The number of ballots recorded at polling stations in those areas was higher than the number announced when the registrar-general gave the results, the report said. The opposite happened in 72 other constituencies. The number of votes announced by the registrar general was as much as 246,445 votes higher than the figures announced at the counting centers, according to MDC."  The MDC reports that their findings are inconclusive because many polling agents have been held by the police for questioning.  In addition, the MDC sites the following as reasons why the elections were unfair.
 - no opposition access to state media, which operate the only radio and television networks in
 Zimbabwe;
 - a 40-percent reduction of polling stations in urban areas, where the MDC enjoys most of its
 support;
 - reduced numbers of independent observers, with only 430 domestic observers granted
 accreditation, of the 12,000 who applied;
 - Mugabe's issuing of new electoral regulations right up to the day before the voting began;
 - new laws that curtailed freedoms of expression and association;
 - and a delay in opening polling stations on a court-ordered third day of voting in Harare.

 March 28, 2002

Former Rhodesian Premier Smith Denied New Passport (Agence France Presse)

Ian Smith, former Rhodesian premier, was denied a new Zimbabwean passport.  He must renounce his British citizenship before he will receive a new passport. "In terms of the laws of Zimbabwe, if one or both parents are born outside the country, you need to renounce your right to the citizenship of their country of birth," Minister Nkomo told Reuters. "I understand he has not done that yet. He can still do that, but while he is doing that he is not entitled to a Zimbabwean passport. We have not stripped him of his citizenship," Nkomo added.  Smith states that this action is illegal and he will challenge its legality.  Earlier in the week, Smith condemned the unfair elections under Mugabe's rule and stated the need for a new election.  Smith was born in Zimbabwe 83 years ago.

March 28, 2002
British journalist arrested in Zimbabwe (Daily Telegraph)

Daily Telegraph correspondant, Peta Thornycroft was arrested by four police officers at a cafe in Chimanimani.  She was arrested on the charges of "publishing false information and inciting public violence" under the new security laws of the Mugabe government.  The prison term for these offenses is a maximum of two years. The new security laws state that any criticism of Mugabe or his government is a criminal offense.
 

March 30, 2002
Zimbabwe High Court orders release of Telegraph journalist (Agence France Presse)

A judge released the British reporter, Peta Thornycroft, after four days in prison.  "Thornycroft, 57, is being charged under a section of a draconian press law enacted two weeks ago which makes it a crime to practice journalism without accreditation and valid qualifications."  Upon release, Thornycroft said she was actually charged with two less serious crimes-using incorrect license plates on a car and acting "illegally as a journalist."  The first offense carries a small fine, while the second a prison term.  The charge of "inciting public violence," which carries a five-year prison term, was dropped.

 April 2, 2002
Zimbabwe opposition to begin crisis talks with Mugabe's party (Agence France Presse)

 The Movement for Democratic Change, led by Morgan Tsvingirai, said it would agree to "low-level" talks with the Mugabe government in order to discuss the future of Zimbabwe.  The talks will be "facilitated" by a diplomat from Nigeria and a South African politician.  The talks come after strong criticism from the MDC regarding the "unfair" elections held in March.  South Africa and Nigeria look to resolve the issues within Zimbabwe as there is increased fear that the violence will spread to the surrounding nations.  "There is a high degree of urgency attached to this and if it is not solver, South Africa could have a million Zimbabwean refugees."

April 2, 2002
Intelligence reports shed new doubt on Mugabe victory (International Herald Tribune)
Article Courtesy of Lexis-Nexis

Intelligence reports from reliable sources within Zimbabwe question the fairness of the presidential elections held here a month ago.  Reports have been shared with members of the Commonwealth, as well as the United States stating that,"ruling party officials realized at the last minute that Mugabe was in danger of losing to Tsvangirai by 200,000 to 300,000 votes."  Mugabe's government rejected international criticism that came during and after the polls.  In addition, the MDC, the opposition party, has called for a fresh election which has also been denied by the Mugabe government.
 

April 2, 2002
How I found ugly truth of Mugabe's police state 
The Daily Telegraph correspondent in Zimbabwe, Peta Thornycroft, tells of her four-day prison ordeal 

When six men - one wearing fake Ray-Ban sunglasses - walked up to my table in the Msasa Cafe
 among the Chimanimani mountains, I knew that this was it. 

 Since returning to Zimbabwe last August to replace David Blair, who had been refused a renewal of
 his work permit to report for The Daily Telegraph, the small corps of foreign correspondents believed
 that one or more of us would be nabbed at some time. Six of us had already been called terrorists by
 the state's press. 

 But with the presidential election over, and among the extraordinary beauty of the Chimanimani
 mountains, it was the last thing on my mind. I was enjoying a cup of tea in the cafe, waiting to meet a
 contact. The men surrounded my table and insisted I go with them. I asked for their identification.
 Two of them showed me cards from the Zimbabwe Republic Police. I paid my bill and, accompanied
 by two of the group, got into my car and drove to the police station. I made a phone call to a friend in
 Harare, who is an old hand at being arrested. I asked him to make three calls: to Beatrice Mtetwa, a
 solicitor in Harare, to The Daily Telegraph and to my host in Chimanimani, Lord Plunket. 

 Then the questions began. I told them I was a journalist working for a British newspaper. But, given
 that the Zimbabwean government hates both the independent press and all things British, it was a
 dangerous admission. The police said they had to check my bona fides. 

 I produced my metal identification card, which all Zimbabweans are obliged to carry since the Public
 Order and Security Act was rammed through parliament in February. The wait began - more
 questions, more chit-chat, and then my mobile phone rang. It was David Blair at the The Daily
 Telegraph in London. He had bad news. Lawyers had discovered that I was not, as I believed, in the
 custody of the police, but of the feared Central Intelligence Organisation. 

 Suddenly it was no longer a case of mistaken identity, or over-zealousness, that could be fixed with a
 little common sense. 

 Robin Plunket and his wife Jennifer arrived. A long-standing champion of majority rule in Zimbabwe,
 he has considerable standing in the community and with the police, but even he got no joy. I heard
 him being told that I was a "very rude woman". They knew, however, that he was watching what
 happened to me. He was allowed a few words with me. 

 The Plunkets came back with a basket of food, and among it was a glass jar filled with one of the
 strongest Scotches ever poured. 

 Lord Plunket told the CIO: "The last time I took food to people in jail was when Robert Mugabe and
 Leopold Takawira [an early nationalist] were arrested." 

 Eventually, the CIO decided to hand me over to the police. I was told I was charged under the
 draconian POSA. legislation. Under this law, journalists can be jailed for a year for criticising the
 president, his cabinet or the security forces, or writing anything deemed false or economically harmful.

 I was exhausted and longing for bed. They removed anything that could possibly have been used to
 harm myself. An inventory was taken of my possessions and I was led up the hill behind the police
 station. I saw that the night sky was clearer than any I had seen in years. The Southern Cross was
 bright and reassuring, and the distant mountains were just visible; so beautiful. 

 The cell was not. It was bare, with three smelly blankets and a hole in the ground in the corner for a
 lavatory: the inevitable smell of urine, the slam of the door, and there I was - barefoot, braless and
 bloody cold. As dawn broke, I could see the distant mountains through an eight-inch square of mesh
 in the rusty old door. The day staff arrived. I was taken to sit in the duty officers' room. 

 A Sergeant Marimuse - with the ubiquitous mock Ray-Bans - asked a series of fatuous questions as
 he went through my notebook and list of contacts. The morning stretched into the afternoon.
 Eventually, I was handed over to four policeman from provincial headquarters who drove me to
 Mutare, the regional capital. 

 There, the police allowed me to see my cousins and eat some fruit. They then took me to another cell
 - with fewer blankets, no view and an even stronger smell of urine. 

 The days turned into nights, and along the way a detective managed to write out a charge sheet
 accusing me of working without accreditation under a media law that was promulgated a week after
 last month's presidential election. 

 Late on Sunday, at an urgent hearing in the Harare High Court, it was ruled that the section under
 which I was charged was unconstitutional, and the police were ordered to release me. They were in
 no hurry. The provincial commander refused to sign my release papers. But my solicitor finally found
 an officer who would, and I was freed into a balmy night in the shabby town close to where I grew
 up. 

 Piecing it together, my arrest was not connected with being a journalist. The paranoid intelligence
 community in Chimanimani saw an unknown white woman driving with a black passenger in a South
 African-registered car, so some part-time "revolutionary" believed that I was a security risk. For
 them, it was a bonus that I was working for a British newspaper. 

 I learned during snatches of overheard conversation that the following is true in the eyes of the
 "freedom fighters" in Chimanimani: Tony Blair has the British navy patrolling off the Mozambique
 coast, ready to airlift in troops to recolonise Zimbabwe. 

 Close your eyes to the mountains and endless sky, and Chimanimani is an ugly little town, like so
 many in Zimbabwe, where there is no democracy, where the opposition voice has been stilled or
 forced underground, where giving a lift to a man with some connection to the opposition can land one
 in prison for five nights and four days. 

 The police have just phoned. I must present myself at Mutare magistrate's court today at 8.30am.

 
 

April 4, 2002
Nigerian, S. African envoys hold talks with Zimbabwe parties (Agence France Presse)

Talks between the two parties in Zimbabwe, the MDC and the ZANU-PF, began with separate meetings with the each group led by envoys from Nigeria and Zimbabwe.  "The proposed talks are at the behest of (Nigerian President) Obasanjo and (South African President) Mbeki, who were part of a Commonwealth team which last month suspended Zimbabwe for one year after President Robert Mugabe reinforced his 22-year grip on power through elections widely seen as flawed."  The leaders are urging the two parties to meet in order to discuss the economic and political future of Zimbabwe.  The country is currently facing its worst economic depression compounded by a drought, as well as political tension stemming from the presidential elections.


Presidents Mbeki (l) and Obasanjo (Courtesy of BBC News)

April 5, 2002
"350 women arrested ahead of protest in Zimbabwe" (Agence France Presse)

Women and children were held in unsanitary conditions after being arrested at a workshop held to organize a protest against Mugabe's government.  A representative for the National Constitution Assembly stated,"some of the children as young as four months have been detained with their mothers in extremely poor conditions."  The protest was going to draw attention to a new constitution that would limit President Mugabe's power.

April 8, 2002
"Mugabe party is forced into talks with opposition" by Jan Raath
Article Courtesy of Lexis-Nexis

Seven delegations from both the MDC and ZANU-PF delivered opening statements in the talks facilitated by envoys from Nigeria and South Africa. It was reported at the end of the session that the two parties have very different agendas, but that it was a beginning to possible peace in the country.  Presidents Mbeki and Obansanjo are behind the talks and hope that a solution will result from these meetings.  Mbeki is created a plan that may provide incentive to Mugabe considering the current economic crisis in his country.  The New Partnership for Africa's Development www.nepad.org is expected to bring "$64 billion of Western trade and investment to Africa."  Membership to this plan is dependent upon enforcement of human rights and democracy.

April 8, 2002
"Three Zimbabwe whites arrested for attempted murder" (Agence France Presse)

Richard Pascall and two of his friends were arrested for attempting to kill a black farmer.  The incident occurred when a group of war veterans demanded that Pascall leave his property.  Police supported the story made by the black farmers stating that they were participating in a "peaceful demonstration."  Pascall claims that he felt threatened a therefore he and two friends fired shots into the air to scare the "demonstrators."  Invasions of white farms have increased with the recent election of Robert Mugabe.

April 9, 2002
"Zimbabwe opposition to challenge poll win in court" by Andrew Meldrum, The Guardian

Evidence against the fairness of elections held in March have triggered the MDC, the opposition party, to challenge the poll results in court.  Morgan Tsvangirai, Mugabe's competitor in the elections, stated, "Our lawyers have uncovered mountains of hardcore and powerful evidence of electoral fraud, which if presented to an independent and impartial court would undoubtedly result in Robert Mugabe's electoral victory being set aside."  Mugabe supposedly won the election by 56 percent to Tsvangirai's 42%.  The action taken by the MDC must be filed within 30 days of the election results according to the Electoral Act.
 
 

Amnesty International Attacks Zimbabwe's Post-Election Human Rights Abuses
(Article Courtesy of Lexis-Nexis)

London, UK (PANA) - Amnesty International has expressed concern over mounting reports of rape and sexual torture by the militia, continuing the pattern seen in the run up to the 9 - 11 March 2002 presidential elections in Zimbabwe. In a press release issued in London Friday, the international human rights watchdog said state-sponsored militia had continued to carry out assaults and acts of sexual violence in reprisals against the opposition. "In the town of Gokwe in Midlands province, the Amani Trust reported that militia members and army soldiers continued to rape women and teenage girls or forced them to perform humiliating sexual acts in public, in revenge for the crime of living in a community perceived to support the opposition. "Militias are also controlling the distribution of food supplies in rural areas and it is feared that this is systematically being used as a tool of repression against opposition supporters," Amnesty said. The human rights group condemned the excesses of the militia and urged the Zimbabwean government to fulfil its obligations towards the citizens by protecting them from all forms of human rights violations. "We are alarmed at reports that reprisal attacks and abductions by militia members are continuing in rural communities of Zimbabwe suspected of voting for the opposition in the recent presidential elections. "The Zimbabwe government has an absolute obligation, in accordance with international human rights standards, to protect all its citizens from human rights violations. "Instead, the government's condoning of militia violence serves a political purpose: destroying an opposition party and taking revenge on Zimbabweans who may still support the MDC," Amnesty International claimed," the AI release said.

According to the London-based human rights group, militia have used published lists of names and
addresses of those who acted as polling agents for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), to attack, abduct and destroy the homes of "these middle-ranking opposition officials". 

"In the rural area outside Gokwe, for example, six homes of polling agents were burnt down. During this past weekend a crowd of 50 militia members in the Bulawayo suburb of Sizinda beat residents in two homes, robbed them of money and destroyed valuables such as televisions and refrigerators.

"When the outraged community tried to evict the militia from their town hall, police tear-gassed them and arrested 42 people on charges of trying to destroy the building."

 In January 2002, a respected Zimbabwean human rights organization, the Amani Trust, reported a
 new pattern of sexual violence after interviewing victims who were forced to rape other victims -- at the instigation of the militia -- in Mashonaland Central Province. sexual assaults by militia, including incidents in which men were forced by militia to commit sexual assault on one another. Amnesty International also mentioned reports that some 1,000 women were being held in militia camps adding that in Masvingo, newspaper accounts described farm workers being beaten and forced to watch their wives raped by militia because they may have voted for the opposition.  AI expressed fears that the political retribution being carried out by the militia may become even more widely felt as the risk of famine in Zimbabwe deepens. It said that it had already received evidence that ZANU - PF officials in charge of distributing food supplies in many rural areas were discriminating against those believed to be supporters of the MDC. "Human rights lawyer Innocent Gonese confirmed this week that war veteran-led militia control the Grain Marketing Board food distribution facilities in the Matabeleland North Province. They demand a ZANU-PF party card before allowing people to buy maize meal," the rights group said. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's Global and Early Warning System predicted at the end of 2001 that more than 700,000 Zimbabweans were at risk of food shortages, with another 250,000 urban dwellers already experiencing food difficulties.

 

April 11, 2002
"Zimbabwe's war veterans order 800 white farmers to vacate land" (Agence France Presse)

Veterans of Zimbabwe's liberation war have ordered the eviction of 800 white farmers from their land.  A top official in the veteran's organization said that the whites should leave because "they advocated for sanctions to be imposed on Zimbabwe."  Two years ago the Mugabe government approved of land reforms which resulted in violent takeovers of white farmland. Under Mugabe's land reform policy, 95 percent of all white-owned land will be turned over to the war veterans.

April 11, 2002
"South Africa, Nigeria Block UN Action on Zim"
Article Courtesy of Lexis-Nexis

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights was not able to pass a resolution regarding the human rights abuses under the Mugabe leadership in Zimbabwe.  The resolution was not passed due to the lack of support from Nigeria and South Africa.  The two states, which are currently facilitating talks between the ZANU-PF and the MDC, will not take action against Zimbabwe.  Human rights violations include threats, torture, rape, murder, and wrongful arrest all in relation to the period leading up to presidential elections in March.
 

April 13, 2002
"12,000 supporters attend rally of Zimbabwe opposition leader" (Agence France Presse)

"Mugabe stole your vote and you people did not get the government you wanted because of that," declared Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the MDC to a crowd of 12,000 supporters.  Tsvangirai encouraged his supporters to be patient as he attempts to call attention to the unfair elections.  Talks with the ZANU-PF will continue on May 13th.  At that time, the MDC will again push for a fresh election.  The ZANU-PF originally refused a new election.

April 15, 2002
"EU beefs up Zimbabwe sanctions with ban on ministerial contacts" (Agence France Presse)

A meeting of the European Council of Ministers resulted in further sanctions on Zimbabwe.  Targeted sanctions on President Mugabe and his cronies began in February due to the refusal of the government to allow European election observers into the country.  The sanctions were expanded to include a "ban on bilateral ministerial contacts."  During the meeting, the ministers condemned not only the unfairness of the elections, but also the human rights abuses in the country.  There will only be ministerial contact with Mugabe in order to improve dialogue about democracy and human rights in Zimbabwe and in order to address humanitarian needs.

April 20, 2002
"EU Resolution for probe into Zimbabwe rights violations rejected at UN session" (BBC)

An investigation into human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, sponsored by Britain, the former colonial power, was rejected during a session of the Human Rights Commission in Geneva.  A "united block of 14 African countries" were able to gain support from several Asian and Middle Eastern countries, making the final vote 26 to 24.  The rejection of the investigation was led by Nigeria, whose leaders have recently sponsored talks between Mugabe's ZANU-PF party and the Movement for Democratic Change.  Nigeria led the UN debate by claiming that "the EU's draft resolution failed to take into account the root causes of the alleged human rights problems."  The draft was further said to be a intrusion on efforts being made by African countries to uncover the truth about the March elections.

 April 26, 2002
"Local NGOs enriching themselves with Western donor funds" (Africa News- The Herald)

There are currently over 600 local non-government organizations operating in Zimbabwe ranging in services from women's rights to literacy campaigns.  Of these organizations, this article claims that much of the money donated by Western nations is taken for personal use.  "Some individuals have perfected the are of producing project proposals meant to benefit the poor while in reality the funds go into their pockets."  The article further states the "they [Western countries] are so obsessed with getting President Mugabe out of power that they stand ready to pay anyone who can help them in their dirty activities."  One social commentator blames the church as a key manipulator of funds-stemming back from the days of colonization.  The National Association of Non-Governmental Organizations is currently in the process of creatinga program that would monitor the funds sent into the country and "deal with the malpractice of our members."
 

May 2, 2002
"Guardian Reporter Arrested in Harare" (Daily Telegraph)

Andrew Meldrum of the Guardian (London) and two other foreign reporters were arrested on claims that they published a false story about Mugabe's ZANU-PF party.

May 7, 2002
"Court tosses out charges against one reporter, two others on remand" (Agence France Presse)

Andrew Meldrum and Lloyd Mudiwa are on remand until the end of the month after Magistrate Lilian Kudya justified "reasonable suspicion" to their actions. Collin Chiwanza, another reporter was released.  Meldrum and Mudiwa were arrested a week ago on the charge of writing a false story about the government.  The story they wrote claimed that pro-government militias decapitated a woman in front of her children.  The charges come as a result of the new media laws, enacted in February, that monitor the amount of free press in the country.  A fourth journalist was arrested earlier this week on the charges of "publishing falsehoods" and has subsequently been released.
 
 


 Arrested foreign reporter (Courtesy of the Guardian)
 
 

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