24 August 2009

Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum Political Violence Report: June 2009

OVERVIEW

The month of June saw the levels of organised violence being sustained with little indication that the Government of National Unity (GNU) was committed to ending human rights violations in the country.

Disregard for the rule of law, corruption, intimidation, abuse of political office and the militarisation of both public and private institutions continue to dog Zimbabwe and stifle any meaningful economic recovery.

Civic activity remained under threat as the police violently broke-up peaceful protests and denied civic groups permission to take part in civic activities. This report documents the harassment, arrest, detention and beatings of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) and Men of Zimbabwe Arise (MOZA) members as they took part in marches to commemorate the United Nations International Refugee Day in Harare and Bulawayo. Two student leaders were also arrested at Masvingo Polytechnic following a protest at the campus as the clampdown on the student movement continues. The police are also reported to have denied clearance for a peaceful march of gender activists who intended to advocate for greater women’s participation in the constitution making process. The police continue to stifle free and peaceful civic activity with brutal attacks on peaceful activists despite the commitment by the parties to the Global Political Agreement (GPA) which incorporates article 18 “Security of Persons and Prevention of Violence.”

Journalists have not been spared the wrath of the security forces as they continue to be harassed, arrested and prevented from doing their work. This report documents the arrest and detention of three journalists as they covered the march by members of WOZA in Harare. Two other journalists employed by the The Worker, a Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) publication, were also arrested, detained and assaulted for covering a protest by Municipal workers in Harare. Despite winning a landmark ruling against the Government of Zimbabwe (GoZ) over the legality of the Media and Information Commission (MIC), four free-lance journalists were reportedly barred by security operatives from covering the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Summit for not being accredited. The continued harassment and intimidation of media practitioners is a worrying trend in the country that has prevented the opening up of media space and has limited public access to reliable information.

Of note in the month of June, is the increase in incidents of violence reportedly perpetrated by members of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) against civilians. This report documents attacks on villagers in Mazowe East by members of the ZNA who are alleged to have assaulted them at their homes at night. It is alarming that some members of the ZNA appear to be a law unto themselves and continue to harass defenceless civilians. As intimidation and fear continue to grip many parts of rural Zimbabwe, groups of ZANU PF youths are still reported to be harassing members and suspected members of the MDC, more than a year after the disputed presidential run-off election. Retributive attacks on those who sought legal assistance and want redress for crimes committed during the 2008 electoral violence have been reported in some parts of the country. Intimidation of MDC members by state agents has also continued. This report documents how three MDC members who were part of the group of those abducted between October and December 2008, were forcibly taken from their homes to the Attorney General’s Office. The violence, intimidation and mistrust across the political divide continues against the sentiments of commitment to national healing expressed publicly by the leaders of the three parties to the GPA.

Farm invasions have taken place unabated despite numerous court rulings and calls by the Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara for an end to violence on commercial farms earlier in the year. The continued involvement and implication of some senior government and ZANU PF officials in the looting of farming equipment and produce, and in the harassment and displacement of commercial farmers and farm workers is conspicuous, in what can be seen as a clear abuse of office. This report documents the on-going disturbances in the Chegutu farming area where a senior ZNA officer Brigadier Mujaji has forcibly taken over Karori Farm in contempt of court orders prohibiting him from settling on the farm. Also documented in this report is the harassment of a Deputy Sheriff who was allegedly chased away from Jijima Lodge as he attempted to evict the ZANU PF National Chairman and Minister of State in the President’s Office for National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration, John Nkomo. The corrupt web surrounding the distribution of land in Zimbabwe has entangled some senior government Ministers and Senators who over the years have allegedly acquired as many as four farms each.

The month of June also saw a visit to Zimbabwe by Irene Khan the Head of Amnesty International on a fact-finding mission to investigate reports of human rights abuses and to meet with government officials. Following the visit to Zimbabwe, Ms Khan described the human rights situation in Zimbabwe as fragile with the continued intimidation of human rights defenders. She noted the arrest of WOZA members even as she held a press conference in Harare. The violence in the Marange diamond fields also came under the spotlight when the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme carried out a visit in May 2009 to investigate reports of violations by the ZNA in the Marange gold fields. The Certification team noted alarming incidences of violence against civilians in a report of the mission that described the violations in Chiadzwa as “horrific” and documented some of the violations as “wounds, scars from dog bites and batons, tears and ongoing psychological trauma”.

The total number of violations recorded for the month of June was 125 as compared to 99 in May. The highest number of violations was in the category of political discrimination/intimidation/ and victimisation in which 37 violations were recorded; a clear sign of the high levels of political intimidation still prevalent in the country. Also of note in the month of June is the high number of violations in the category of freedom of association/assembly/ movement, in which 22 violations were recorded as compared to 2 in May. This increase is also reflected in the number of violations of unlawful arrest and unlawful detention, in which 20 violations were recorded in each category respectively. Two cases of torture were recorded in June.

Key Abbreviations

AIPPA – Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act

CIO – Central Intelligence Organisation

WOZA – Women of Zimbabwe Arise

ZANU PF – Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front

MDC – Movement for Democratic Change

ZCTU – Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions

MP – Member of Parliament

ZNA – Zimbabwe National Army

NCA – National Constitutional Assembly

ZPS – Zimbabwe Prison Service

OVT – Organised Violence and Torture

ZRP – Zimbabwe Republic Police

POSA – Public Order and Security Act

ZNLWVA – Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association

PTUZ – Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe

ZIMTA – Zimbabwe Teachers Association

ROHR – Restoration of Human Rights Zimbabwe

ZINASU – Zimbabwe National Students Union

UMP – Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe

ZUPCO – Zimbabwe United Passenger Company

Sources: The information contained in this report is derived from statements made to the Public Interest Unit of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, its members and statements taken by a network of human rights activists and newspaper reports.

Notes:

Torture:

All cases of torture fall under the definition of torture according to the general definition given in the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment.

The four elements of torture are:

1 Severe pain and suffering, whether physical or mental

2 Intentionally inflicted

3 With a purpose

4 By a state official or another individual acting with the acquiescence of the state.

Those individuals referred to in point # 4 as state officials include the ZRP, ZNA,

Unlawful arrest and detention:

Arrest by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) with no reasonable suspicion that an offence has been committed. Detention thereafter for a period exceeding 48 hours without access to redress through the courts or subsequent release without charge.

Abduction/kidnapping:

A kidnapping by a member(s) of an organised group that is not the ZRP, ZNLWVA, ZNA, ZPS and the ZNLWVA (as a reserve force of the ZNA).

Disappearance: Kidnapped persons whose whereabouts remained unknown at the time of reporting.

Property related: These are incidents in which property rights have been violated. This includes arson, property damage and destruction and theft.

Cases of Political Violence

Note: The identities of victims whose names have not been published in the press and are not public officials are protected. This is done in order to protect the victim from further violence, intimidation and possible recriminatory attacks.

The purpose of this report is to record the nature of the politically-motivated violence and intimidation that continues to prevail in the country. The Monthly Political Violence Reports are primarily based on victims’ accounts, accompanied by medical evidence where possible, obtained from member organisations of the Forum and other partner organisations. Use is also made of press reports.

The Report cannot be considered as the exhaustive record of all incidents of politically-motivated violence in Zimbabwe in the period under review. Nevertheless, every incident reported to the Human Rights Forum directly or through its members is meticulously documented and included in the reports.

Care is also taken to record the incidents in the language in which they were reported to the Forum.

The situation prevailing in the country is such that it has not been possible to verify all of these accounts. The Human Rights Forum has done what it can to verify the reports, and is satisfied that the vast majority of them are substantially true. It is also not possible to rule out whether a victim’s account is exaggerated or contains inaccuracies.

All reports derived from the press are denoted with the symbol Σ.

BULAWAYO

Bulawayo Central

17 June 2009: Seven members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) and Men of Zimbabwe Arise (MOZA) were arrested as they participated in four simultaneous marches to mark World Refugee Day, commemorated annually on 20 June. One of the protests began outside Bulawayo Central Police Station and the marchers converged outside the offices of the Chronicle newspaper where they were attacked by armed anti-riot police officers. The fourth group of protestors did not manage to converge at the offices of the Chronicle as they were intercepted by the police while on their way there. The seven arrested members were released on 19 June 2009 on US$20 bail each after spending two nights in police custody, and remanded out of custody to 3 July 2009. They ere charged under section 37 (i) (a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform Act).

HARARE

Harare Central

5 June 2009: Chris Mahove, a journalist with The Worker newspaper which is run by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), was arrested while taking pictures of a protest by Harare City Council employees. He was taken to Harare Central Police Station where he managed to call his Editor Ben Madzimure, who was also arrested while enquiring about his colleague at the police station. The two were reportedly assaulted while in custody and had material captured during the protest destroyed by the police. Both journalists were released without charge after being detained for several hours.

17 June 2009: Four members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) were arrested during a march to commemorate World Refugee Day. The four women were badly assaulted and sustained injuries while in police custody. One woman sustained a broken finger, while two others were on crutches as they were unable to walk unaided. The fourth woman sustained injuries to her ear. All four women sustained severe deep tissue bruising from beatings. They were released on 19 June on US$10 bail, remanded out of custody to 2 July and ordered to report to the Law and Order section every Friday. They ere charged under section 37 (i) (a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform Act). Their lawyer applied for and was granted an order for the police to explain the injuries sustained by the four women.

17 June 2009: Three journalists were arrested while covering a peaceful march by WOZA and the subsequent violent break-up of the march by the police. The march was held to commemorate International Refugee Day.

They were however released without charge apparently after the police had realized that one of the journalists was employed by the state-run Herald newspaper.

17 June 2009: Members of the anti-riot police seized a female victim and her nine-month old baby during a march by WOZA to mark World Refugee Day. It is alleged that the woman was dragged into a room full of police officers inside Parliament where her baby was un-strapped from her back, and placed on the floor before the police officers took turns to assault her. She was later taken to Harare Central Police Station where she was released without charge after WOZA members who were in police custody confirmed that she was not a member of their group.

thezimbabwestandard.com

20 June 2009: Σ.The police reportedly refused permission to gender activists from all over the country who had intended to march in Harare to demand greater women’s involvement in the constitution making process. More than 1 500 women from all over Zimbabwe had reportedly gathered at the Harare International Conference Centre for a consultative conference on the constitutional review process.

The conference was organised jointly by the Women’s coalition in Zimbabwe and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development. The march was intended to mark the end of the conference.

MANICALAND

Nyanga North

thezimbabwetimes.com

20 June 2006: Σ. A Nyanga magistrate, Clever Tsikwa was reportedly forced to abandon a case involving 108 MDC supporters due to alleged attempts by the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) to influence the outcome of the case. The MDC supporters, all of them villagers in Nyanga District, are alleged to have gone around the area earlier in the year to demand property and livestock that had been forcibly taken from them by ZANU PF supporters during the electoral violence in 2008. Tsikwa reportedly refused to proceed with the matter citing external interference. The Nyanga North legislator, Douglas Mwonzora, reportedly took the matter to Parliament and demanded state protection for the magistrate. The Deputy Minister for Justice, Jessie Majome reportedly denied knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the matter and asked witnesses to submit details of the matter to the Ministry of Justice for further investigation.

MASHONALAND CENTRAL

Mazowe East

6 June 2006: The male victim reports that he and his wife were assaulted by members of the ZNA. The soldiers knocked at the victim’s door at around 22:00hrs and his wife went to the door to enquire who it was.

The soldiers then forced themselves into the house and assaulted her with belts. They also found the male victim in the house and assaulted him with baton sticks and booted feet. He was then forced out of the house where he was hit on the head with an unknown object and cut with a knife on his right palm. The soldiers left the home after the attack.

6 June 2009: The male victim reports that he was assaulted by a member of the ZNA and 14 other people who came to his house at around 22:00hrs. They attacked him after he had opened the door to investigate the source of the noise. The victim was assaulted with army belts, baton sticks and booted feet while some of the assailants held him down. The attack began after part of the mob had identified him as one of the targets of the attacks they were carrying out in that area. The assailants did not state the reason for the attack. He lost consciousness during the attack and was resuscitated the following morning.

13 June 2009: The male victim reports that he was assaulted by members of the ZNA who came to his home at night. He tried to flee from the soldiers but he was caught and had his arm stabbed by one of the soldiers as another held him down. The assailants did not state the reason for the attack.

13 June 2009: The female victim reports that she was assaulted by members of the ZNA and others in plain clothes. She was six months pregnant at the time of the attack. The assailants came to the victim’s home at night while she was sleeping and demanded that she open the door. When she opened the door the assailants attacked her, kicking her in the neck and chest before dragging her across the floor. She sustained bruises to her forehead and injuries to her left eye. The assailants did not state the reason

for the attack.

Guruve South

13 June 2009: The male victim reports that he was threatened and assaulted by three ZANU PF youths who have been harassing him and his family since the run up to the Presidential Run-off election. The attack on the victim came after he had gone to the assailants’ home to confront them for assaulting his brother on allegations that he is an MDC supporter. The assailants had also allegedly been involved in burning the victim’s home in the run-up to the 27 June 2008 election. In retaliation, the assailants followed the victim back home after the confrontation and assaulted him with large sticks. They also threatened to kill him if he instituted legal claims against them or reported the matter to the police. He sustained injuries to his left arm.

13 June 2009: The male victim reports that he was assaulted by three ZANU PF supporters on allegations of being an MDC supporter. The three, who are members of the same family, followed him as he was returning home after selling his cotton. They assaulted him with booted feet and open hands. He sustained injuries to his neck and ears.

13 June 2009: The male victim reports that he was assaulted by ZANU PF youths after he had tried to intervene in an argument between them and his brothers. He was assaulted on his left leg with a large stick.

Mount Darwin North

25 June 2009: The male victim reports that he was attacked by two ZANU PF supporters after they had received summons from the victim’s legal counsel for claims of violations committed during the 2008 electoral period. The victim was coming from the local shopping centre when the two assailants attacked him with an axe. One of the assailants tried to hit him on the head with the axe but the victim blocked it with his hand resulting in his sustaining a deep cut to his right hand. He managed to flee to his home where he got assistance from his neighbour.

Mudzi South

20 June 2009: The male victim reports that he was assaulted by five ZANU PF youths after he had passed near the venue of a meeting they were holding in the local shopping centre. The five youths called the victim and told him he was not allowed to pass through while they were holding their meeting. The assailants grabbed the victim and assaulted him. He tried to block the blows to his face resulting in his sustaining injuries to his right hand. The victim was only released after one police officer Bariyando intervened and ordered the assailants to let him go.

MASHONALAND WEST

Chinhoyi

www.radiovop.com

2 June 2009: Σ.Three Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) activists, Terry Musona, Lloyd Tarumbwa and Fani Tembo, who were abducted in Banket by State security agents in October last year, were reportedly forcefully taken from their homes by three State security agents. It is alleged that the three were taken to the Attorney-General's (AG) office in Harare and told that they should testify against other MDC activists who were due to face trial the following week on charges of banditry or they would face unspecified consequences. One of the victims reports that at the Attorney General’s office he was interrogated in the presence of Mrs Ziyambe and Mr Mutangadura. The three were reportedly released the following day and instructed to go back to their respective homes and to appear in court for the trial. The three abductees were among those abducted by the state between October and December 2008 and charged with banditry and terrorism when they finally appeared in court following months of being held incommunicado.

Chegutu East

25 June 2009: At Karori Farm, members of the ZNA remained on the farm under instruction from Brigadier Mujaji. They stopped all farm operations for five weeks including maize reaping and tobacco grading. Three lorries were sent to the farm to try and load maize for delivery to the Jesuit Provincial Food Programme which had contracted the crop; however all the lorries were prevented from entering the farm and sent back. The police allegedly refused to intervene or uphold any of the court orders and Charles Lock was allegedly told that the police had been instructed by Police General Headquarters not to render any assistance. Mr Lock sought another court order for the eviction of Mujaji and the Messenger of Court was sent to carry out the eviction but was stopped by Mujaji who also tried to have some of the farm workers removed from the farm. The Attorney General’s Office is seeking to prosecute Lock’s wife on allegations of staying on the land illegally although her husband was earlier acquitted of the same charge. Earlier in the month, Brigadier Mujaji had again broken into the complex using his soldiers and had taken 100 irrigation pipes belonging to Mr Lock in addition to the 63 he had taken a week earlier. He tried to force Mr Lock’s workers to load and ferry them but they all refused.

One Sgt Mukoni then took a tractor and ferried the pipes with the assistance of the other soldiers. The matter was reported to the police but there was no response.

25 June 2009: At Reydon Farm the Chegutu lands officer, Clever Kunonga, is trying to take over the farm for himself. He faces a High Court order barring him from the property; however, he has not adhered to it and as a result also faces contempt of court proceedings. Mr Kunonga continues to harass the occupants of the farm and he had eviction notices served on some of the workers, one of whom found himself and his belongings transported off the farm and dumped on the roadside. He was also arrested for trying to resist the eviction.

MASVINGO

Masvingo Central

23 June 2008: Two Masvingo Polytechnic student leaders Samuel Gwenzi and Dry Chingoriro, were arrested for allegedly leading demonstrations on campus. They were charged with obstructing the course of justice and remanded to 17 August.

MATEBELELAND NORTH

Umguza

thezimbabwean.com.uk

Σ.Officers of the Zimbabwe Republic Police reportedly refused to grant clearance to a ZAPU meeting. Some of the party’s supporters reportedly turned up at the venue of the meeting but were chased away by the police.

17 June 2009:

Hwange West

swradioafrica.com

8 June 2009: Σ.Four freelance journalists, who won a landmark case against the government over the legality of the Media and Information Commission (MIC), were barred from attending the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Summit for not being accredited. The Information Ministry had earlier instructed all journalists wishing to cover the event to register for accreditation with the Media and Information Commission (MIC). The freelance journalists took the state to court over the issue and High Court Judge Bharat Patel ruled that the MIC was now a defunct body and as such no journalist in the country was legally required to register with it. The court granted the journalists an interim order barring the state and the MIC chairman Dr Tafataona Mahoso and others, from interfering with the work of the four journalists. However, the journalists, Stanley Gama, Valentine Maponga, Stanley Kwenda and Jealous Mawarire, were turned away from the Summit venue in Victoria Falls by security details. The security officials insisted that the journalists, despite the production of the High Court order, could not cover the event, as they were not on the Information Ministry's list of journalists accredited to cover the Summit.

zimonline.co.za

15 June 2009: Σ.Armed guards reportedly chased away a Messenger of Court as he attempted to evict the Minister of State in the President’s office responsible for National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration, John Nkomo, from Jijima Safari Lodge. In a letter to the Bulawayo High Court, Deputy Sheriff Peter Thamo Zulu reportedly stated that when he went to Jijima Safari Lodge to serve a court order on Nkomo to vacate the farm, four armed men he found at the farm chased him away at gunpoint. The Bulawayo High Court had earlier ordered the Deputy Sheriff to evict the Minister from Jijima Lodge in the Gwayi River Conservancy to pave the way for businessman Langton Masunda, with whom the senior politician has wrangled for years over ownership of the property. Mr Nkomo filed an urgent court application seeking an order to stop his eviction from the Lodge.

MAIN EVENTS 2009

January

1 – A group of soldiers in Masvingo goes on the rampage assaulting residents and looting property.

8 – Armed Security personnel raid an outdoor adventure camp in Ruwa on allegations that it is being used to train bandits.

10 – Rowdy soldiers assault traders and loot goods at Makoni Shopping Centre in Chitungwiza.

13 – War veterans loot goods and cash at a shopping centre in Ngundu.

February

5 – Three commercial farmers who were part of the group of farmers that won the SADC Tribunal ruling on land redistribution are arrested and released the following day without charge.

10 – Eight Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) members and two lawyers, Roselyn Hanzi and Tawanda Zhuwarara, are arrested in Harare following a march by WOZA.

11 – Morgan Tsvangirai is sworn in as the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe while Thokozani Khupe (MDC T) and Arthur Mutambara (MDC M) are sworn in as Deputy Prime Ministers in the Government of National Unity (GNU).

13 – Roy Bennett, the MDC T Treasurer General is arrested at Charles Prince Airport and charged with treason. The charges are later altered and he now faces charges of attempting to commit banditry, terrorism and sabotage.

28 – President Robert Mugabe celebrates his 85th Birthday in Chinhoyi at an extravagant reception and in his celebratory speech orders commercial farmers to leave their farms. “Again I want to say, the farmers who owned these farms, which now have been designated and offered to new owners, must respect that law. They must vacate those farms, they must vacate those farms, they must vacate those farms.

March

4 – Three student leaders, Respect Ndanga, Innocent Kapoya and Kelvin Veremu, are arrested and detained at Bindura Central Police Station on allegations of inciting public violence following a protest against high tuition fees being charged at state universities.

6 – Mutare Magistrate Livingstone Chipadze is arrested for ordering the release of Roy Bennett the Deputy Minister of Agriculture-elect. He is charged with criminal abuse of office for allegedly contravening section 174, sub-section 1A of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act, Chapter 9.23.

11 – MDC and ZANU PF supporters clash at the funeral of the Prime Minister’s late wife Susan Tsvangirai. 10 homes and livestock are burnt during the violence.

25 – Two WOZA members, Patricia Ndlovu, aged 53, and Georgina Muzaza, aged 84, are arrested in Bulawayo while trying to engage the Headmistress of Mpumelelo Primary School over the running of the school and the demands made by the school on parents.

April

6 – Students at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Bulawayo protest against the high tuition fees being charged at state universities.

17 – An interparty task force led by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara is set up to investigate disturbances on commercial farms.

20 – Four farm workers are reportedly severely assaulted by ZANU PF youths for talking to the Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara about the situation on Twyford farm in Chegutu.

20 – Thirteen students from Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) in Masvingo are arrested and detained at Rujeko Police Station after participating in a protest against the high tuition fees being charged at state Universities.

May

5 – Jestina Mukoko, the Director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), and 17 others accused of banditry and sabotage, are incarcerated following their indictment. They are released on bail the following day.

11 – The Editor of the weekly Zimbabwe Independent newspaper, Vincent Kahiya and News Editor Constantine Chimakure are arrested. They are released on bail after being detained for 48 hours.

13 – Prominent human rights lawyer, Alec Muchadehama, is arrested and detained by officers from the Police’s Law and Order Section on charges of obstructing the course of justice. He is released on bail the following morning.

29 – A former commercial farmer Ian Campbell Morrison is arrested and fined US$800 on allegations of occupying state property illegally.

June

8 – Four freelance journalists, who won a landmark case against the government over the legality of the Media and Information Commission (MIC), are barred from attending the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Summit for not being accredited.

13 – The Head of Amnesty International, Irene Khan, arrives in Harare for a fact finding mission on reports of human rights violations and to meet with some government officials.

17 – Eleven members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) are arrested in Harare and Bulawayo during a march to commemorate United Nations International Refugee Day.

20 – The police deny permission to gender activists, from all over the country, who had intended to peacefully march in Harare to demand greater women’s involvement in the constitution making process.

The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (also known as the “Human Rights Forum”) is a coalition comprising 19 member organisations. It has been in existence since January 1998 when non-Governmental organisations working in the field of human rights joined together to provide legal and psychosocial assistance to the victims of the Food Riots of January 1998.

The Human Rights Forum has now expanded its objectives to assist victims of organised violence, using the following definition:

“Organised violence” means the inter-human infliction of significant avoidable pain and suffering by an organised group according to a declared or implied strategy and/or system of ideas and attitudes. It comprises any violent action, which is unacceptable by general human standards, and relates to the victims’ mental and physical well-being.”

The Human Rights Forum operates a Research and Documentation Unit and offers legal services to assist victims of organised violence and torture claim compensation from perpetrators through its Public Interest Unit. – ZimOnline