Torture, assault, unlawful detention and other violations of human rights are increasing rapidly in Zimbabwe, according to a new report.
The report, by the independent Human Rights Forum, highlighted the government crackdown on the country’s political opposition.
Monitors said they collected evidence documenting 5 307 human rights violations in the first six months of this year — nearly double the number during the same period a year ago, the report said.
Meanwhile, the crackdown appears to be continuing. A pro-democracy group, Women of Zimbabwe Arise, reported on Wednesday that 19 of its activists, both men and women, had been arrested the day before while playing netball in the southern town of Masvingo and were being held in police cells.
No reason for their detention was given, the group said in a statement. The group is known for staging surprise political demonstrations and regularly having members arrested under sweeping security laws, but it said it had staged no recent protests in Masvingo.
In its analysis, Human Rights Forum said the violations documented through to June 30 included two politically linked deaths, 328 cases of torture, 481 assaults by state personnel and militants, 802 cases of unlawful arrest and detention, 935 incidents of political victimisation and intimidation and 1 937 violations of freedom of expression and movement.
Two other opposition activists were also killed this year, in the western Matabeleland South district, in suspected political abductions.
But evidence regarding their killings, which were not included in the report’s total, is still being collected, the group said.
Forum officials said the increases this year came primarily in state-orchestrated rights violations.
The total of 5 307 so far this year compares with 2 868 in the first six months of last year.
This March, Morgan Tsvangirai and other top opposition leaders were assaulted and arrested when police violently broke up a prayer meeting that had been declared to be an illegal political gathering.
President Robert Mugabe later endorsed the assaults, telling leaders at a summit of the Southern African Development Community that Tsvangirai had ”asked for it” and that police had the right to ”bash” opponents intent on holding illegal violent protests.
He accused the opposition Movement for Democratic Change of waging a campaign of terror with a series of gasoline bombings.
The forum’s report cites the arrest of two lawyers representing alleged terror suspects among cases of unlawful detention.
The lawyers, Alec Muchahdama and Andrew Makoni, had asserted in court that police had faked evidence against the 15 alleged gasoline bombers. Last month, all 15 were freed after five months in jail when the High Court ruled the state evidence was fabricated.
In addition to the political clampdown, more than 7 000 business executives, store managers and traders have been arrested since July in a drive to enforce a government order to slash prices of all goods and services by half.
The government says the inflation rate is 4 500%, the highest in the world. The mandatory price cuts have left shelves across the country bare of corn meal, meat, bread, milk and other staples.
Most of the arrested business representatives, who include some to the nation’s top corporate directors, have been held for 48 hours, the maximum allowed, in harsh police jails in near-freezing night temperatures before being allowed to apply for bail. — Sapa-AP