Zimbabwe after votations

From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1064589.stm

Country profile: Zimbabwe

The fortunes of Zimbabwe have for almost three decades been tied to President Robert Mugabe, the pro-independence campaigner who wrested control from a small white community and became the country's first black leader.

Now, he presides over a nation whose economy is in tatters, where poverty and unemployment are endemic and political strife and repression commonplace.

AT-A-GLANCE

Politics: President Robert Mugabe, in office since 1980, has been accused of resorting to heavy-handed methods to remain in power. He lost the first round of the presidential election in 2008.

Economy: Economy in crisis, with rampant inflation, "de-industrialisation" and shortages of food and fuel. Agricultural production is shrinking

International: Faces increasing international isolation over human rights abuses and restrictions on freedom

President: Robert Mugabe

Robert Mugabe played a key role in ending white rule in Rhodesia and he and his Zanu-PF party have dominated Zimbabwe's politics since independence in 1980.

President Mugabe has defended the seizures of white-owned farms

The main challenge to the octogenarian leader's authority has come from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The MDC says its members have been killed, tortured and harassed by Zanu-PF supporters. The president has accused the party of being a tool of Western powers.

Mr Mugabe was declared the winner of the 2002 presidential elections, considered seriously flawed by the opposition and foreign observers. He received a boost in 2005 when Zanu-PF won more than two-thirds of the votes in parliamentary elections, said by the MDC to be fraudulent.

The size of the win enabled the president to change the constitution, paving the way for the creation of an upper house of parliament, the Senate.

Zimbabwe

A trail of violence after the ballot

I. Introduction

Amnesty International has documented unlawful killings, torture and other ill-treatment, including beatings, as well as harassment and intimidation of mainly Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters and human rights defenders in Zimbabwe following elections on 29 March 2008. By the end of May dozens of people had been killed and over 1600 people¹had been treated for injuries sustained from politically related violence. Human rights groups in Zimbabwe have been unable to document all the cases of violence as their movements have been severely restricted and some of them have fallen victim to the on-going violence.

The bulk of the human rights violations have been perpetrated by supporters of the Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party and members of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWA) (generally known as "war veterans"). State security organisations, in particular the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) have been unwilling to act against these perpetrators -- allowing them to kill, torture, assault and burn homes and businesses of suspected MDC supporters with impunity. In fact, in some cases authorities have instigated or even directed attacks by these groups.

VI. Conclusion

Amnesty International fears that the level of human rights violations and abuses against MDC supporters and human rights defenders will increase, during the period leading to the second run-off presidential election, if the government of Zimbabwe does not take immediate action to end the attacks. The organisation believes that many of the current acts of violence, and the government's failure to ensure such incidents are properly investigated and perpetrators brought to justice, violates both national law and international human rights law. Instead of exercising due diligence to protect all Zimbabweans, state officials, in particular soldiers, are reportedly torturing and ill-treating an increasing number of individuals, while ZANU-PF supporters and "war veterans" are allowed to kill, torture, ill-treat, harass and intimidate perceived political rivals with impunity.

Amnesty International believes that increased international pressure on the government of Zimbabwe, particularly by member states of the Africa Union, Southern African Development Community, Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa and other countries invited to send international election observers for the presidential election run-off on 27 June 2008, can have a significant positive impact on the protection of human rights during and after the elections. In that regard, the organisation is convinced that human rights specialists should be included in international election observer teams. These human rights specialists should pay particular attention to protection of the right to freedom from torture or other ill-treatment, as well as the rights to peaceful assembly, association and freedom of expression before, during and after the presidential election. The specialists should be able to produce rapid and frequent reports that should be made public. They should be able to engage with the Zimbabwean authorities and political parties to end human rights violations and abuses.

You can read and know more about it in:

http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=ENGAFR460142008&lang=e

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1064589.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1064589.stm

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/196731055?z00m=15556340