tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88074819688850536332012-02-17T05:19:09.605+02:00Rev Mufaro Stig Hove: mufarostig@hushmail.com, skype: "zimfinalpush", cell: 0791463039 RSA.CDE CHINYAVADAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16125223259671378323noreply@blogger.comBlogger71100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807481968885053633.post-72764352971260641642008-01-09T09:26:00.000+02:002008-01-09T09:28:34.400+02:00GLOBAL ZIMBABWE FORUM<br /> <br />in partnership with the<br /> <br />ZIMBABWE DIASPORA FORUM<br /> <br /> <br />PRESS STATEMENT<br /> <br /> <br />RE: Message of Solidarity with the People of Kenya<br /> <br />The Global Zimbabwe Forum in partnership with its local regional affiliate, the Zimbabwe Diaspora Forum would like to confirm that it successfully participated in a public protest outside the Kenyan High Commission in Pretoria, South Africa.<br /> <br />The event was held on the morning of Tuesday 8th January 2008.<br /> <br />The picket was organized by a network of South African based Kenyans who also extended a request to the Zimbabweans exiled in South Africa to participate in the march in solidarity with them.<br /> <br />The good news is that at least one full bus load of Zimbabwean activists managed to turn out in full force and helped to make the protest to be a huge success.<br /> <br />The Vice Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Diaspora Forum, Solomon ‘Sox’ Chikohwero was also given a chance to make a public address of solidarity at the event.<br /> <br />We would like as Zimbabweans in the Diaspora, to state in no uncertain terms our unequivocal stance on the following issues:<br /> <br />The outcome of the recently held Kenyan elections does not truly reflect the democratic will of the nation’s electoral majority. <br />We do not recognize Mr. Mwai Kibaki as the duly re-elected President of Kenya. <br />We also condemn the political motivated violence, rape and killings that have become an unfortunate outcome of the recent elections. <br />We urge all the interested political parties in Kenya to seek a common peaceful resolution to the current post electoral crisis in the country. <br />We endorse every current effort to mediate in the crisis particularly from Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Ghana’s President John Kufour. <br />We also extend our full appreciation to all the relief agencies such as the Red Cross that have already responded to the humanitarian crisis that has engulfed the Kenyan nation. <br />We urge all Zimbabweans and Africans in general to rise up and stand in solidarity with the struggling people of Kenya.<br /> <br /> <br />Issued in Johannesburg on Wednesday 9th January 2008 by<br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Mr. Daniel Molokele<br />Co-ordinator of the Global Zimbabwe Forum<br />Outgoing Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Diaspora Forum<br /> <br />Telephone: +27 72 947 4815<br /> +27 72 238 9192<br /> +27 79 434 4508<br /> <br />Website: www.zimcsoforum.org<br /> <br /><br /><br />Mr. Daniel Molokele<br />Pretoria<br />South Africa<br />Cell. +27 72 947 4815<br />Website. http://danielmolokele.blogspot.com<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8807481968885053633-7276435297126064164?l=zimfinalpush8.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>CDE CHINYAVADAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16125223259671378323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807481968885053633.post-33235300018379906292008-01-08T15:08:00.000+02:002008-01-08T15:47:38.196+02:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_AwWdcNwFCWU/R4N9UH6ayAI/AAAAAAAAAXE/M6TE64tIiG8/s1600-h/feet_torture.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153100183316908034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_AwWdcNwFCWU/R4N9UH6ayAI/AAAAAAAAAXE/M6TE64tIiG8/s320/feet_torture.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0"><br /><tbody><br /><tr><br /><td style="HEIGHT: 367px"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></td><br /><td style="HEIGHT: 367px"><br /><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0"><a href="http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=2432">http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=2432</a><br /><tbody><br /><tr><br /><td><br /><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0"><br /><tbody><br /><tr><br /><td class="txt_24black_boldGrey"><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblArticleTitle"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></span></td></tr><br /><tr><br /><td height="7"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></td></tr><br /><tr><br /><td><br /><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0"><br /><tbody><br /><tr><br /><td class="txt_13black"><em><span class="txt_10darkGrey" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblArticleAuthor"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></span></em></td><br /><td align="right"><span class="txt_10darkGrey" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblArticleDate"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><br /><tr><br /><td height="4"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></td></tr><br /><tr><br /><td class="article_small_topline"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><br /><tr><br /><td height="15"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></td></tr><br /><tr><br /><td class="txt_10darkGrey"><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 10px Helvetica">A Report on Torture and Human Rights Abuses in Zimbabwe<span style="FONT: 12px Helvetica"> </span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">December 2007 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">The Open Society Institute </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">The Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">Since early 2007, the Zimbabwean government has brutally sought to suppress political opposition with state sponsored torture and political violence. This upsurge in political violence occurred following a peaceful prayer rally organized on March 11 2007 by a coalition of Zimbabwean church and civic organizations. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 17px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">This investigation, the first conducted by international health professionals since the March 2007 violence, provides evidence that the Zimbabwean government is systematically utilizing torture and violence as a means of deterring political opposition. This state-sanctioned violence targets low-level political organizers and ordinary citizens, in addition to the prominent members of the political opposition. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 17px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">This report, based on forensic evaluations, documents how victims of political violence have been tortured and subjected to other human rights abuses causing devastating health consequences. Victims were detained under inhuman conditions and denied appropriate access to medical and legal assistance. Members of civil society, including doctors and lawyers assisting victims of political violence, also described being subjected to harassment by government authorities. These findings raise profound concerns as to whether elections scheduled for 2008 will be free and fair. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 17px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">1. Robert Mugabe's threat to Trade Unionists before the 1998 strikes </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa 12th Floor Braamfontein Centre 23 Jorissen Street </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">Braamfontein 2017 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">PO Box 678 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">Wits 2050 South Africa </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">Telephone: +27 (011) 403-3414/ 5/ 6 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">Fax: +27 (011) 403-2708 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">Email: info@osisa.org </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">Website: www.osisa.org </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">Open Society Institute </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">400 West 59th Street </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">New York, NY 10019 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">USA </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">Tel. <?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = SKYPE /><skype:span onmouseup="javascript:skype_tb_imgOnOff(this,1,'1',true,16,'');return skype_tb_stopEvents();" class="skype_tb_injection" oncontextmenu="javascript:skype_tb_SwitchDrop(this,'1','sms=0');return skype_tb_stopEvents();" onmousedown="javascript:skype_tb_imgOnOff(this,2,'1',true,16,'');return skype_tb_stopEvents();" id="softomate_highlight_1" onmouseover="javascript:skype_tb_imgOnOff(this,1,'1',true,16,'');" title="Call this phone number in United States of America with Skype: +12125480600" onclick="javascript:doRunCMD('call','1',null,0);return skype_tb_stopEvents();" onmouseout="javascript:skype_tb_imgOnOff(this,0,'1',true,16,'');" durex="528" context="1-212-548-0600" iamrtl="0"><skype:span onmouseup="javascript:doSkypeFlag(this,'1',1,1,16);return skype_tb_stopEvents();" class="skype_tb_imgA" onmousedown="javascript:doSkypeFlag(this,'1',2,1,16);return skype_tb_stopEvents();" id="skype_tb_droppart_1" onmouseover="javascript:doSkypeFlag(this,'1',1,1,16);" title="Change country code ..." style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(C:\DOCUME~1\REVMHO~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\__SkypeIEToolbar_Cache\e70d95847a8f5723cfca6b3fd9946506\static\inactive_a.compat.flex.w16.gif)" onclick="javascript:doHandleChdial(this,1,'1',1);return skype_tb_stopEvents();" onmouseout="javascript:doSkypeFlag(this,'1',0,1,16);"><skype:span class="skype_tb_imgFlag" id="skype_tb_img_f1" style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(C:\DOCUME~1\REVMHO~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\__SkypeIEToolbar_Cache\e70d95847a8f5723cfca6b3fd9946506\static\famfamfam/US.gif)"></skype:span></skype:span><skype:span class="skype_tb_imgS" id="skype_tb_img_s1"></skype:span><skype:span class="skype_tb_injectionIn" id="skype_tb_text1"><skype:span class="skype_tb_innerText" id="skype_tb_innerText1">1-212-548-0600</skype:span></skype:span><skype:span class="skype_tb_imgR" id="skype_tb_img_r1"></skype:span></skype:span> </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">Fax: 1-212-548-4619 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">Website: www.soros.org </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">Torture </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">462 First Avenue, C and D Building, Room </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">710 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">New York, NY 10016 USA </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">Telephone: <skype:span onmouseup="javascript:skype_tb_imgOnOff(this,1,'3',true,16,'');return skype_tb_stopEvents();" class="skype_tb_injection" oncontextmenu="javascript:skype_tb_SwitchDrop(this,'3','sms=0');return skype_tb_stopEvents();" onmousedown="javascript:skype_tb_imgOnOff(this,2,'3',true,16,'');return skype_tb_stopEvents();" id="softomate_highlight_3" onmouseover="javascript:skype_tb_imgOnOff(this,1,'3',true,16,'');" title="Call this phone number in United States of America with Skype: +12129947169" onclick="javascript:doRunCMD('call','3',null,0);return skype_tb_stopEvents();" onmouseout="javascript:skype_tb_imgOnOff(this,0,'3',true,16,'');" durex="528" context="212-994-7169" iamrtl="0"><skype:span onmouseup="javascript:doSkypeFlag(this,'3',1,1,16);return skype_tb_stopEvents();" class="skype_tb_imgA" onmousedown="javascript:doSkypeFlag(this,'3',2,1,16);return skype_tb_stopEvents();" id="skype_tb_droppart_3" onmouseover="javascript:doSkypeFlag(this,'3',1,1,16);" title="Change country code ..." style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(C:\DOCUME~1\REVMHO~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\__SkypeIEToolbar_Cache\e70d95847a8f5723cfca6b3fd9946506\static\inactive_a.compat.flex.w16.gif)" onclick="javascript:doHandleChdial(this,1,'3',1);return skype_tb_stopEvents();" onmouseout="javascript:doSkypeFlag(this,'3',0,1,16);"><skype:span class="skype_tb_imgFlag" id="skype_tb_img_f3" style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(C:\DOCUME~1\REVMHO~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\__SkypeIEToolbar_Cache\e70d95847a8f5723cfca6b3fd9946506\static\famfamfam/US.gif)"></skype:span></skype:span><skype:span class="skype_tb_imgS" id="skype_tb_img_s3"></skype:span><skype:span class="skype_tb_injectionIn" id="skype_tb_text3"><skype:span class="skype_tb_innerText" id="skype_tb_innerText3">212-994-7169</skype:span></skype:span><skype:span class="skype_tb_imgR" id="skype_tb_img_r3"></skype:span></skype:span> </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">Fax: 212-994-7177 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">Email: ask45@aol.com </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">www.survivorsoftorture.org </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">The Open Society Institute </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Helvetica">The Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture</div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Times New Roman"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 16px Book Antiqua"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">"We have degrees in violence"</span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> <span style="font-size:+0;">A Report on Torture</span><span style="font-size:+0;"> </span></span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 16px Book Antiqua"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">and Human Rights Abuses</span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> <span style="font-size:+0;">in Zimbabwe</span><span style="font-size:+0;"> </span></span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 16px Book Antiqua"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><br /></span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Book Antiqua">A Report by<span style="FONT: 12px Helvetica"> </span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Book Antiqua"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa</span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> </span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Book Antiqua"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">The Open Society Institute</span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> </span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Book Antiqua"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">The Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture</span><span style="FONT: 12px Helvetica"> </span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Book Antiqua">December 2007</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Book Antiqua"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Contents</span><span style="FONT: 12px Helvetica"> </span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Book Antiqua">Acknowledgements 1 </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Book Antiqua"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Book Antiqua">I. Summary<span style="FONT: 14px Book Antiqua"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> </span></span>2 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Book Antiqua">Findings 2 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Book Antiqua">Recommendations 3 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Book Antiqua">II. Methods<span style="FONT: 14px Book Antiqua"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> </span></span><span style="FONT: 10px Book Antiqua">5 </span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 10px Book Antiqua">Interviews with Primary Sources 5 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 10px Book Antiqua">Definitions Used <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">5</span><span style="FONT: 12px Helvetica"> </span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Book Antiqua">Consent Obtained 6 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Book Antiqua">Secondary Sources 6 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Book Antiqua">III. Background<span style="FONT: 14px Book Antiqua"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> </span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"></span></span><span style="FONT: 10px Book Antiqua">6</span><span style="FONT: 14px Book Antiqua"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> </span></span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Book Antiqua">IV. Trauma Experienced by Investigation Participants<span style="FONT: 14px Book Antiqua"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> </span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"></span>11 </span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Book Antiqua">Nature of Traumatic Events Experienced 11 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Book Antiqua">Health Consequences of Torture/Political Violence Experienced 11 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Book Antiqua">V. State Sponsored Torture and Violence after March 11 <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"></span><span style="FONT: 10px Book Antiqua">12 </span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 10px Book Antiqua">Political Violence and the Events of March 11 12 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 10px Book Antiqua">Violence Against Women 15 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 10px Book Antiqua">Violence and the Funeral of Gift Tandare 18 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 10px Book Antiqua">Continued, Targeted Political Violence 19<span style="FONT: 12px Helvetica"> </span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 10px Book Antiqua">Complicity of Cio, War Veterans and ZANU-PF Youth post-March 11 21 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Book Antiqua">Increased Harassment and Fear post March 11 23 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Book Antiqua">Hardship and Fear for Zimbabwean Refugees in South Africa 25 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Book Antiqua">VI. Photographs: Victims of Political Violence and Torture 28 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Book Antiqua">VII. Health Consequences of Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe<span style="FONT: 14px Book Antiqua"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> </span></span><span style="FONT: 10px Book Antiqua">33</span><span style="FONT: 14px Book Antiqua"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> </span></span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Book Antiqua">Physical Health Consequences of Reported Abuses 33 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Book Antiqua">Psychological Effects 35 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Book Antiqua">Psychological Distress among Zimbabwean Refugees in South Africa 38 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Book Antiqua">VIII. Poor Conditions of Detention and Delays in Access to Medical Care </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Book Antiqua">and Legal Assistance <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"></span><span style="FONT: 10px Book Antiqua">39 </span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 10px Book Antiqua">Inhuman Jail Conditions 39 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 10px Book Antiqua">Delays in Access to Legal Services while in Police Custody 40 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 10px Book Antiqua">Delays in Access to Medical Care while in Police Custody 41 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 10px Book Antiqua">Delays in Medical Care Outside of Prison 43<span style="FONT: 12px Helvetica"> </span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 10px Book Antiqua">Difficulties Accessing Medical Care in South Africa 44<span style="FONT: 12px Helvetica"> </span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Book Antiqua">IX. Harassment of Doctors and Lawyers Assisting Victims of Torture and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Book Antiqua">Political Violence in Zimbabwe <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"></span><span style="FONT: 12px Book Antiqua">45 </span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Book Antiqua">Intimidation and Harassment of Doctors 45 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Book Antiqua">Intimidation and Threats to Lawyers 47 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Book Antiqua">X. Risks and Limitation of this Investigation<span style="FONT: 14px Book Antiqua"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> </span></span><span style="FONT: 10px Book Antiqua">48</span><span style="FONT: 14px Book Antiqua"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> </span></span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Book Antiqua">XI. Tables<span style="FONT: 14px Book Antiqua"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> </span></span><span style="FONT: 10px Book Antiqua">49</span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 10px Book Antiqua"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><br /></span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 10px Book Antiqua"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa</span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> </span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 10px Book Antiqua"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">(OSISA)</span><span style="FONT: 12px Helvetica"> </span></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 10px Book Antiqua"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) is a leading Johannesburg-based foundation established in 1997, working in ten Southern Africa countries: Angola, Botsawanta, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. OSISA works differently in each of these ten countries according to local conditions. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">There are specialized programme managers in Angola, Zimbabwe and Swaziland-these being the three countries in which significant structural </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">governance questions still obtain. OSISA is part of a network of autonomous foundations, established by George Soros, located in Eastern and Central Europe, the former Soviet Union, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the US. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">OSISA's vision is to promote and sustain the ideals, values institutions and practice of open society. OSISA's vision is that of a vibrant Southern African society in which people, free from material and other deprivation, understand their rights and responsibilities and participate democratically in all spheres of life. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">In pursuance of this vision, OSISA's mission is to initiate and support programmes working toward open society ideals and to advocate for these ideals in Southern Africa. This approach involves looking beyond </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">immediate symptoms, in order to address the deeper problems – focusing on changing underlying policy, legislation and practice, rather than on short-term welfarist interventions.</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Given the enormity of the needs and challenges in the region it operates in, and acknowledging that it cannot possibly meet all of these needs, OSISA, where appropriate, supports advocacy work by its partners in the respective countries, or joins partners in advocacy on shared objectives and goals. In other situations, OSISA directly initiates and leads in advocacy interventions, along the key thematic programmes that guide its work. OSISA also intervenes through the facilitation of new and innovative initiatives and partnerships, through capacity building initiatives as well as through grantmaking. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">OSISA Johannesburg Office </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">12th Floor Braamfontein Centre </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">23 Jorissen Street </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Braamfontein 2017 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">PO Box 678 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Wits 2050 South Africa </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Telephone: +27 (011) 403-3414/5/6 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Fax: +27 (011) 404-2708 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Email: info@osisa.org </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Website: www.osisa.org </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The Open Society Institute (OSI) </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The Open Society Institute (OSI), a private operating and grantmaking foundation, aims to shape public policy to promote democratic governance, human rights, and economic, legal, and social reform. On a local level, OSI implements a range of initiatives to support the rule of law, education, public health, and independent media. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">At the same time, OSI works to build alliances across borders and continents on issues such as combating corruption and rights abuses. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">OSI was created in 1993 by investor and philanthropist George Soros to support his foundations in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Those foundations were established, starting in 1984, to help countries make the transition from communism. OSI has expanded the activities of the Soros foundations network to other areas of the world where the transition to democracy is of particular concern. The </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Soros foundations network encompasses more than 60 countries, including the United States. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">OSI Initiatives </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">OSI's initiatives address specific issue areas on a regional or network-wide basis around the world. Most of the initiatives are administered by OSI-New York or OSI-Budapest and are implemented in cooperation with Soros foundations in various countries and regions. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">OSI initiatives cover a range of activities aimed at building free and open societies, including grantmaking to strengthen civil society; economic reform; education at all levels; human rights; legal reform and public administration; media and communications; public health; and arts and culture. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Soros Foundations </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Soros foundations are autonomous institutions established in particular countries or regions to initiate and support open society activities. The priorities and specific activities of each foundation are determined by a local board of directors and staff in consultation with George Soros and OSI boards and advisors. In addition to support from OSI, many of the foundations receive funding from other sources. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The foundations network consists of national foundations in 29 countries, foundations in Kosovo and Montenegro, and two regional foundations, the Open Society Initiative </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">for Southern Africa (OSISA) and the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA). OSISA and OSIWA, which are governed by their own boards of directors and staffs from the region, make grants in a total of 27 African countries. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">OSI-New York </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">400 West 59th Street </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">New York, NY 10019 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">USA </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Tel. <skype:span onmouseup="javascript:skype_tb_imgOnOff(this,1,'6',true,16,'');return skype_tb_stopEvents();" class="skype_tb_injection" oncontextmenu="javascript:skype_tb_SwitchDrop(this,'6','sms=0');return skype_tb_stopEvents();" onmousedown="javascript:skype_tb_imgOnOff(this,2,'6',true,16,'');return skype_tb_stopEvents();" id="softomate_highlight_6" onmouseover="javascript:skype_tb_imgOnOff(this,1,'6',true,16,'');" title="Call this phone number in United States of America with Skype: +12125480600" onclick="javascript:doRunCMD('call','6',null,0);return skype_tb_stopEvents();" onmouseout="javascript:skype_tb_imgOnOff(this,0,'6',true,16,'');" durex="528" context="1-212-548-0600" iamrtl="0"><skype:span onmouseup="javascript:doSkypeFlag(this,'6',1,1,16);return skype_tb_stopEvents();" class="skype_tb_imgA" onmousedown="javascript:doSkypeFlag(this,'6',2,1,16);return skype_tb_stopEvents();" id="skype_tb_droppart_6" onmouseover="javascript:doSkypeFlag(this,'6',1,1,16);" title="Change country code ..." style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(C:\DOCUME~1\REVMHO~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\__SkypeIEToolbar_Cache\e70d95847a8f5723cfca6b3fd9946506\static\inactive_a.compat.flex.w16.gif)" onclick="javascript:doHandleChdial(this,1,'6',1);return skype_tb_stopEvents();" onmouseout="javascript:doSkypeFlag(this,'6',0,1,16);"><skype:span class="skype_tb_imgFlag" id="skype_tb_img_f6" style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(C:\DOCUME~1\REVMHO~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\__SkypeIEToolbar_Cache\e70d95847a8f5723cfca6b3fd9946506\static\famfamfam/US.gif)"></skype:span></skype:span><skype:span class="skype_tb_imgS" id="skype_tb_img_s6"></skype:span><skype:span class="skype_tb_injectionIn" id="skype_tb_text6"><skype:span class="skype_tb_innerText" id="skype_tb_innerText6">1-212-548-0600</skype:span></skype:span><skype:span class="skype_tb_imgR" id="skype_tb_img_r6"></skype:span></skype:span> </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Fax: 1-212-548-4619</div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture provides comprehensive, multidisciplinary care addressing the medical, mental health, and social service needs of torture survivors and their families. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The program has established an international reputation for excellence in its clinical, educational, and research activities including documenting torture and its health consequences. The Bellevue/NYU Program is a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">member of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The Bellevue/NYU Program brings together clinical and academic resources from Bellevue Hospital, the oldest public hospital in the United States, and New York University School of Medicine. Since its inception in 1995, the program has cared for more than 2,000 men, women and children from over 70 different countries. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The Bellevue/NYU Program has conducted ground breaking research in documenting torture and its health consequences in countries around the world. Recent research projects have included evaluating the prevalence of trauma and psychological symptoms among Darfurian refugees in Chad; the health consequences of detention of asylum seekers in the United States; and trauma and its health consequences among Tibetan Refugees in India. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Recently, program staff have conducted forensic evaluations of former detainees from Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp, Cuba. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The Bellevue/NYU Program its staff have received numerous awards including the Jim Wright Vulnerable Populations Award from the National Association of Pubic Hospitals, the Roger E. Joseph Prize from Hebrew Union College, The Barbara Chester Award from the Hopi Foundation, The Arthur C. Helton Human Rights Award from the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Human Rights Defender Award from Physicians for Human Rights, and The Robin Hood Foundation Heroes Award. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">462 First Avenue, C and D Building, Room 710 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">New York, NY 10016 USA </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Telephone: <skype:span onmouseup="javascript:skype_tb_imgOnOff(this,1,'8',true,16,'');return skype_tb_stopEvents();" class="skype_tb_injection" oncontextmenu="javascript:skype_tb_SwitchDrop(this,'8','sms=0');return skype_tb_stopEvents();" onmousedown="javascript:skype_tb_imgOnOff(this,2,'8',true,16,'');return skype_tb_stopEvents();" id="softomate_highlight_8" onmouseover="javascript:skype_tb_imgOnOff(this,1,'8',true,16,'');" title="Call this phone number in United States of America with Skype: +12129947169" onclick="javascript:doRunCMD('call','8',null,0);return skype_tb_stopEvents();" onmouseout="javascript:skype_tb_imgOnOff(this,0,'8',true,16,'');" durex="528" context="212-994-7169" iamrtl="0"><skype:span onmouseup="javascript:doSkypeFlag(this,'8',1,1,16);return skype_tb_stopEvents();" class="skype_tb_imgA" onmousedown="javascript:doSkypeFlag(this,'8',2,1,16);return skype_tb_stopEvents();" id="skype_tb_droppart_8" onmouseover="javascript:doSkypeFlag(this,'8',1,1,16);" title="Change country code ..." style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(C:\DOCUME~1\REVMHO~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\__SkypeIEToolbar_Cache\e70d95847a8f5723cfca6b3fd9946506\static\inactive_a.compat.flex.w16.gif)" onclick="javascript:doHandleChdial(this,1,'8',1);return skype_tb_stopEvents();" onmouseout="javascript:doSkypeFlag(this,'8',0,1,16);"><skype:span class="skype_tb_imgFlag" id="skype_tb_img_f8" style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(C:\DOCUME~1\REVMHO~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\__SkypeIEToolbar_Cache\e70d95847a8f5723cfca6b3fd9946506\static\famfamfam/US.gif)"></skype:span></skype:span><skype:span class="skype_tb_imgS" id="skype_tb_img_s8"></skype:span><skype:span class="skype_tb_injectionIn" id="skype_tb_text8"><skype:span class="skype_tb_innerText" id="skype_tb_innerText8">212-994-7169</skype:span></skype:span><skype:span class="skype_tb_imgR" id="skype_tb_img_r8"></skype:span></skype:span> </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Fax: 212-994-7177 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Email: (Dr. Allen Keller-Program Director) ask45@aol.com </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Website: www.survivorsoftorture.org </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 1 </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">This report was researched and written by Allen Keller, M.D., and Samantha Stewart, M.D. Dr. Keller is Associate Professor of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, Director of the Bellevue/NYU </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Program for Survivors of Torture, Director of the NYU School of Medicine Center for Health and Human Rights and is a member of the Advisory Board of Physicians for Human Rights. Dr. Stewart is a staff </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">psychiatrist with the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture, and an Attending Physician, Department of Psychiatry, Bellevue Hospital. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The report was reviewed and edited by Jonathan Cohen, Julie Hayes, Open Society Institute, New York, NY; Delme Cupido, Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa; </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Bronwen Manby, The Africa Governance Monitoring and Advocacy Project, Open Society Institute, London, UK; Helen Epstein; and Dechen Lhewa and Jessica Kim, Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Torture, New York, NY. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">We thank Dr. Loren Landau, Forced Migration Studies Programme, University of Witwatersrand, Witwatersrand South Africa; and Emily Sachs, Fordham University Department of Psychology New </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">York, New York, for their comments. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A special thanks to Selvan Chetty of Solidarity Peace Trust for all of his efforts and support in preparing this report. We are grateful to all of the individuals who agreed to be interviewed for this report and to all of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">individuals and organizations who provided information, advice and assistance in planning and preparing this report. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Support for this report was provided by the Open Society Institute. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">2 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I. SUMMARY </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The 2008 Presidential campaign has already begun. This violence is the strategy of the ruling party. They want to eliminate opposition now so that the situation will appear calm in the period before the election. -Zimbabwean Human Rights Advocate </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">It is less than one year before Zimbabwe will hold the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for March 2008. Since early 2007 the country has been subject to an upsurge in political violence that has </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">seriously undermined the democratic process and created a presumption that these elections will not be free and fair. State-sponsored violence directed toward any individuals or groups who are perceived to be </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">critical of President Robert Mugabe, his government or his policies, manifests a strategy to demobilize Zimbabweans from mounting or supporting an organized opposition campaign. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The international community and Southern African Democratic Community (SADC) have attempted to play a role in encouraging a democratic process by introducing South Africa's president, Thabo Mbeki, as a mediator between the ruling and opposition parties. However, the international community remains ineffective in its efforts to stop states-sponsored violence in Zimbabwe. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">On March 11, 2007 a coalition of church and civic organizations known as the Save Zimbabwe Campaign, organized a prayer rally in Highfield, a township near the capital Harare. Police used violence and arrests to prevent the peaceful prayer rally. They shot to death an unarmed activist, Gift Tandare, and subsequently arrested several leaders of the major opposition party—the Movement for Democratic </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Change (MDC)—as well as rank and file attendees. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">While the brutal beatings and interference with medical care of the prominent MDC leaders following March 11 received considerable media attention, the persisting torture and political violence,1 particularly 1. For this report, individuals were classified as having been subjected to torture if the experience(s) they reported were considered by the examining physicians to meet criteria for torture as defined in the United Nations Convention Against Torture. (See Methods Section for complete definition). </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Individuals were classified as having been subjected to political violence if the experience(s) they reported was considered, by the examining physicians, to be a violent act as a result of their political activities or beliefs, but which was not that perpetrated against rank and file political activists, have not been documented by international health and human rights experts. This report details the state-sponsored violence that occurred in the wake of the highly publicized events of March 11, 2007. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Researchers from the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture traveled to South Africa and Zimbabwe during the last week of April and first two weeks of May 2007 at the request of local </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">nongovernmental organizations to evaluate reports of torture and political violence. This report is based on the detailed testimony and medical examination of 24 individuals who were subjected to torture or political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence during March and April 2007. Additionally, interviews were conducted with more than 30 health professionals, human rights advocates and representatives of non-governmental organizations in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe and South Africa. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">This investigation, the first conducted by international health professionals with expertise in the evaluation documentation and treatment of torture victims since the March 2007 violence, provides evidence that the Zimbabwean government is systematically utilizing torture and violence as a means of deterring political opposition. This state-sanctioned violence targets low-level political organizers and ordinary citizens, in addition to the prominent members of the political opposition. </div><br /><div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"><br /></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The medical evaluations of recent victims of torture and political violence document physical </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and psychological evidence of violent human rights </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">abuses and the devastating health consequences of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">such political violence. Victims were detained under </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">inhuman conditions and denied appropriate access to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical and legal assistance. Members of civil society, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">including doctors and lawyers assisting victims </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of political violence, described being subjected to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">harassment by government authorities. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Findings </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">In addition to prominent opposition leaders, ordinary </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">MDC members and local community organizers </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">are being systematically tortured and targeted by </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwean authorities for political violence. This </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">assessment is supported by the testimony and medical </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">evidence of the 24 Zimbabweans victims of torture </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and political violence interviewed and evaluated for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">considered, necessarily, to constitute torture.</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 3 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">this report. All had clear physical and psychological </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">evidence of torture and abuse corroborating their </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">testimony. These victims of political violence included </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">both men and women. They were not randomly </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">targeted, but included national and local leaders of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the political opposition, community organizers, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ordinary citizens. Zimbabweans who were arrested </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and detained for their political activities described </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">being detained under filthy, inhuman conditions as </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">well as being denied basic necessities such as food, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">water, light, and blankets. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">This torture and political violence has devastating </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">physical, psychological and social health </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">consequences. At the time of evaluation, all 24 of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the Zimbabwean victims of torture and political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence evaluated for this report continued to suffer </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">from substantial and often debilitating physical and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">psychological symptoms as a direct result of their </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">abuse. Individuals suffered from severe pain, broken </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">bones, and unhealed wounds as a result of beatings </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they had endured. Their backs and legs showed clear </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">marks from whips or the imprints of clubs used to beat </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">them. The psychological scars, including depression, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and associated </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">symptoms such as profound sadness, nervousness, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">difficulty sleeping, and recurrent memories of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the trauma were also evident. Victims frequently </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">described profound fear of further torture or death as </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">well as threats to their family. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Furthermore, Zimbabwean authorities are interfering </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with and delaying access to medical and legal services for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">victims of torture and political violence. News accounts </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">have neglected to describe the systematic interference </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with access to medical and legal services for victims </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of violence. Such interference not only infringes upon </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the rights of these individuals and compounds their </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">abuse, but is designed to increase impunity for abuse </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">by preventing health workers and legal professionals </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">from evaluating and documenting the abuse. Many of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the Zimbabwean victims of torture/political violence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">interviewed described experiencing substantial delays </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in obtaining medical evaluation and treatment as well as </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">being denied access to their lawyers. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Doctors and lawyers assisting victims of torture and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political violence described being threatened and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">harassed by police and other government authorities. For </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">example, medical and legal professionals we interviewed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">received threatening phone calls both at their homes </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and at work warning them not to interfere with state- </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">sponsored violence. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Finally, Zimbabwean victims of torture or political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence fleeing to South Africa often endure </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">substantial difficulties in obtaining refugee status and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">accessing health services. Zimbabwean victims of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political violence as well as Zimbabwean advocates </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in South Africa described the many problems that </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwean refugees encounter upon their arrival in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">South Africa. This includes problems with obtaining </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">refugee status or political asylum; problems with </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">attaining adequate food and shelter; difficulty getting </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">appropriate and necessary healthcare; and ongoing </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">fears of deportation and discrimination. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Recommendations </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">1. Recommendations to the Zimbabwean </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Government: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Immediately cease and investigate all acts of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">torture and state-sanctioned political violence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The Government of Zimbabwe should immediately </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">cease all acts of torture and state-sponsored violence, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">conduct transparent and credible investigations of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">all allegations of torture and violence and publicly </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">condemn such acts. There is an urgent need to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">resolve the political impasse in Zimbabwe, and this </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">must begin with an end to state sanctioned political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence, including torture, arbitrary arrest, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">targeting individuals for political violence based on </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">their political affiliations. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Although Zimbabwe is one of 51 countries that has </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">not ratified the UN Convention Against Torture, it is </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">party to several international treaties that specifically </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">prohibit torture, including The International Covenant </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">on Human and People's Rights. Furthermore, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe's own Constitution (Section 15) outlaws </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">punishment. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Ensure adequate and timely access to medical </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and legal services for victims of torture and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political violence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Individuals suffering from injuries and illness in state </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">custody, including victims of torture and political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence, must have access without delays to adequate </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical and legal services. The Government of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe must take immediate steps to protect </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">health professionals and legal service providers from </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">harassment and intimidation. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">• </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">•</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">4 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Ensure accountability and legal prosecution of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">perpetrators of torture and political violence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Individuals, including police, ZANU-PF party </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">members and members of related organizations who </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">have participated in torture and political violence must </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">be held accountable in courts of law for their actions. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Independent investigations into the excessive use of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">force on March 11 2007 as well as investigation of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">organizations responsible for this and subsequent </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence must be undertaken. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">2. Recommendations to the Zimbabwean Medical </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Association: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Speak out against violations of human rights </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">including torture, political violence and denial </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of medical care to detainees </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The Zimbabwean Medical Association (ZIMA) should </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">work to ensure that the Zimbabwean government </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">upholds nationally and internationally recognized </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">human rights standards including prohibitions of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">torture and the provision of medical care for detainees. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Furthermore, ZIMA should see that physicians can </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">fulfill their professional obligations to maintain clinical </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">independence without harassment and intimidation. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">3. Recommendations to African leaders and the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">International Community: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Governments and international bodies </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">including members of the Southern African </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Development Community (SADC), the United </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Nations Security Council, and the United </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Nations Commissioner on Human Rights </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">must hold the Zimbabwean government </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">accountable for its obligations under </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">international law regarding prohibition of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">torture and political violence. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">African and international leaders must strongly and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">publicly condemn acts of torture and state sanctioned </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political violence in Zimbabwe. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Medical and legal professional organizations </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and nongovernmental organizations both in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Africa and internationally must condemn acts </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of torture, state sanctioned political violence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in Zimbabwe, obstruction of access to medical </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and legal services for detainees, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">harassment of medical and legal professionals </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">assisting victims of political violence. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">• </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">• </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">• </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">• </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Medical and legal organizations in Africa and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">internationally, need to support colleagues operating </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">under duress and use all regulatory and professional </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">organizing bodies to call for internationally endorsed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">standards for legal representation and provision of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical care. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">4. Recommendations to President Mbeki and the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">South African Government </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">President Mbeki must provide strong </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">leadership in opposing torture and political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">President Mbeki must use his role as a democratic </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">leader in the Southern African community to uphold </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">international standards for opposition of torture </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and political violence and promotion of free and fair </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">elections and basic human rights including a fair </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and impartial judiciary and rights of detainees in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwean victims of torture and political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence, for whom it is not safe in Zimbabwe, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">should be granted political asylum </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">consistent with the protections of international </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">law. Appropriate access to medical, mental </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">health and social services should be ensured </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">South Africa must provide protection for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabweans fleeing persecution and political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence. Given recent events and historical increases </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in violence prior to Zimbabwean elections, the South </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">African Government and refugee organizations should </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">prepare for an increase in the number of Zimbabwean </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">victims of torture and political violence. Steps should </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">be taken to ensure basic and non-discriminatory access </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to medical and social services. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">• </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">•</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 5 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">II. METHODS </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Interviews with Primary Sources </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">In April and May 2007, detailed medical evaluations </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of 20 Zimbabweans reporting experiences of torture or </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political violence in Zimbabwe since March 11, 2007 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were conducted. The evaluations were performed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in Zimbabwe and in South Africa. In addition, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">evaluations were conducted with 4 individuals </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">reporting torture or political violence during the year </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">preceding March 11, 2007. All respondents continue to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">live in fear of further torture or political violence. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Seventy-nine percent of the Zimbabwean victims of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">torture and political violence evaluated were male </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and 21% were female (see Table 1: Demographic </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Information). The mean age was 36 (range: 19-64), and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">75% of the individuals were 40 or under. All but two of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the individuals were members of or politically active </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with the MDC party. Those active with the MDC party </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were primarily local organizers (12) rather than those </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">working at the national level (6). While many of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">victims were from Harare and Bulawayo, others came </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">from all parts of Zimbabwe. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Clinical evaluations were performed using established </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">international guidelines for investigating and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">documenting torture and other cruel, inhuman or </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">degrading treatment or punishment.1 Detailed trauma </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and medical histories were elicited by interview; </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">a detailed review of physical and psychological </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">symptoms was conducted; and physical examinations </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were performed. These evaluations were conducted </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">by two physicians with extensive experience in the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">evaluation and treatment of victims of torture and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political violence. Each evaluation took approximately </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">two hours. Interviews were conducted in English for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">22 of the 24 individuals. For two individuals, Shona </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">interpreters were used. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">In addition to clinical interviews, assessment of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">psychological symptoms was conducted using </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">two self-report standardized questionnaires: the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">1. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Human Rights. The Istanbul Protocol. Available at: http:// </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">www.ohchr.org/english/about/publications/docs/8rev1. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">pdf.; Iacopino V, Allden K, Keller A. Examining Asylum </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Seekers. A Health Professional's Guide to Medical and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Psychological Evaluations of Torture. Boston: Physicians for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Human Rights; 2001. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25 (HSCL-25)2 and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) portion </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ).3 The </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">HSCL-25 is a 25-item self-report scale comprised of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">two subscales measuring anxiety and depressive </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">symptoms. Mean scores over 1.75 for the HSCL-25 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">identify individuals who are highly symptomatic. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The PTSD portion of the HTQ includes a 16-item scale </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">developed to quantify severity of PTSD symptoms. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Mean scores over 2.5 on the HTQ are associated with </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">a clinical diagnosis of PTSD. The HSCL-25 and HTQ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">have been used extensively with diverse populations </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in studies of trauma, and have been validated against </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">clinical diagnoses. Eighteen of the 24 victims of torture </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and political violence evaluated in this investigation </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">completed these questionnaires. The remaining six </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">individuals did not do so because of time limitation. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Definitions Used </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Individuals were classified as having been subjected </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to torture if the experience(s) they reported was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">considered, by the examining physicians, to meet </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">criteria for torture, as defined in the United Nations </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Convention Against Torture.4 Individuals were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">classified as having been subjected to political violence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">if the experience(s) they reported was considered, by </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the examining physicians, to be a violent act as a result </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of their political activities or beliefs, but which was not </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">considered, necessarily, to constitute torture. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">2. Derogatis LR, Lipman R, Rickels K, Uhlenhuth EH, Covi </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">L. The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL): A self-report </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">symptom inventory. Behavioural Science. 1974;19:1-15. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">3. Mollica RF, Caspi-Yavin Y, Bollini P, Truong T, Tor S, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Lavelle J. The Harvard Trauma Questionnaire: Validating </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">a cross-cultural instrument for measuring torture, trauma, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and post-traumatic stress disorder in Indochinese refugees. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. 1992;180:110-115. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">4. United Nations General Assembly. Convention Against </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">or Punishment. Available at: http://www.ohchr.org/ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">english/law/cat.htm. According to the United Nation's </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, torture is defined </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">as "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">information or a confession, punishing him for an act he </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">or a third person has committed or is suspected of having </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">person acting in an official capacity." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">6 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">III. BACKGROUND </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">During late 2006 and the beginning of 2007, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">peaceful protests and anti government opposition </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in Zimbabwe prompted an upsurge in violent </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">reactions by the police, resulting in the arrests and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">beatings of students, trade union members and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">human rights advocates. On September 13, 2006 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">police arrested and reportedly tortured 15 leaders </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and members of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Unions (ZCTCU) after they attempted to hold a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">peaceful protest concerning the deterioration of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the social and economic conditions in Zimbabwe.1 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">According to Human Rights Watch, in February </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">2007, at least 400 civil society activists and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">opposition members were arrested for attending </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">peaceful demonstrations and organizational </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">meetings.2 On February 21, police imposed a three </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">month ban on political rallies, claiming that such </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">rallies would result in violence and a breakdown in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">law and order.3 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Then, on March 11, 2007, police violently disrupted </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">a prayer meeting in Highfield organized by a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">coalition of civic and religious organizations called </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the Save Zimbabwe Campaign. Police used tear gas, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">water cannons and live ammunition against the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">unarmed crowd.4 One crowd member, Gift Tandare, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was shot and killed. More than 50 others, including </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the president of the major opposition party- the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)-Morgan </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Tsvangirai, were arrested and reportedly beaten and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">tortured. Since then repression in Zimbabwe has </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">only intensified. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">1. Amnesty International. Amnesty International Report 2007. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Available at: http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/Regions/ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Africa/Zimbabwe; Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Human Rights (ZADHR). Torture and Denial of Access to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Treatment of ZCTU Members. Available at: http://www. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">kubatana.net/html/archive/hr/060915zadhr.asp?orgcode=z </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">im065&amp;year=2006&amp;range_start=1. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">2. Human Rights Watch. Bashing Dissent: Escalating Violence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and State Repression in Zimbabwe. May 2007. Available at: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">http://hrw.org/reports/2007/zimbabwe0507/. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">3. Ibid. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">4. Timberg C. Opposition Leaders Arrested in Zimbabwe. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Washington Post. March 12, 2007. Available at: http://www. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/11/ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">AR2007031101520_pf.html </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Examples of political violence included: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">An unarmed individual being shot at a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">demonstration </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">An individual witnessing someone being </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">beaten by police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">An individual being threatened with arrest if </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">he/she continues their political activities </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Examples of torture included: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">An individual repeatedly beaten by police or </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">groups such as the Youth Militia </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">An individual threatened with death while in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">police custody </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Consent Obtained </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Individuals verbally consented to be interviewed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and examined and to have the findings publicly </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">disseminated. No one was compensated for the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">interviews or medical examinations. For safety and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">privacy, victims are referred to in this report either </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with pseudonyms or pseudo-initials. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Sekai Holland, who reported being tortured in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe following March 11, gave permission </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">for her name to be used. Several individuals who </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">provided background information requested not to be </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">identified. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Secondary Sources </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">In addition to these detailed medical evaluations, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">background interviews were conducted with more </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">than 30 key informants in South Africa and Zimbabwe, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">who were approached based on their knowledge </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of the situation in Zimbabwe. This included health </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">professionals, lawyers, human rights advocates and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">community organizers, many of whom are working </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with non-governmental organizations in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and South Africa. Individuals who requested </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">anonymity are not identified. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">(See Chapter IX for Risks and Limitations of this </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Investigation). </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">• </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">• </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">• </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">• </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">•</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 7 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">According to a report issued by Human Rights Watch: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The arrest and severe beating of these opposition leaders </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and civil society activists by police and state security </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">officers marked a new low in Zimbabwe's seven-year </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political crisis. It ignited a new government campaign </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of violence and repression against members of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">opposition and civil society-and increasingly ordinary </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabweans-in the capital Harare and elsewhere </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">through the country._ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">State-sponsored torture and political violence in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe are calculated to deter opposition in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the run-up to national elections and referenda, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">constitute a major threat to the country's democratic </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">development. In late March 2007, the "Mbeki </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Initiative," was launched by the Southern African </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Development Community (SADC) in an effort to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">negotiate a resolution to Zimbabwe's eight-year </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political and economic crisis. The initiative gave </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">South African president Thabo Mbeki the role of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">facilitating dialogue between President Mugabe's </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ZANU-PF government and the opposition MDC. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Useful talks have been marred by continued violence, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with President Mugabe asserting the violence is </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">government response to "terrorism."6 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The report of quick and violent crackdowns on ZCTU </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">rallies in September and at the prayer rally on March </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">11th is consistent with a pattern of elevated violence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">prior to past elections. Presidential and parliamentary </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">elections in Zimbabwe were moved forward to March </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">2008 shortly before the noted escalations in violence. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Additionally the reports from many of the victims </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">that their torturers are making anti-MDC statements </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">suggests that a campaign is underway to deter </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political activism in the run up to the coming elections. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The current upsurge in state-sponsored violence has </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the potential to intimidate and brutalize voter morale </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in a country that continues to face severe declines </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">across all sectors. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Arguably, it is no coincidence that the escalation </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in violence occurred precisely one year before </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">5. Human Rights Watch. Bashing Dissent: Escalating Violence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and State Repression in Zimbabwe. May 2007. Available at: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">http://hrw.org/reports/2007/zimbabwe0507/. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">6. Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum. Their Words Condemn </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">them: The Language of Violence, Intolerance and Despotism </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in South Zimbabwe. May 2007. Available at: http://www. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">hrforumzim.com/frames/inside_frame_special.htm. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the March 2008 Parliamentary and Presidential </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">elections. This supports the assertion that the torture </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and political violence are the result of a deliberate </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">government policy to frighten into silence anyone </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">who might be considering supporting the opposition. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">President Mugabe and the ruling ZANUPF party </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">have frequently stated that the opposition is being </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">supported by foreigners such as London-based groups </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in league with the British government invoking </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">anti-imperialistic rhetoric. For example in interviews </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">conducted for this report, victims of torture and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political violence described being called "prostitutes of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Tony Blair." The rationale for such rhetoric likely has </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">far more to do with the internal Zimbabwean politics </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">than it does with Zimbabwe's relationship with Britain </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">or other foreign powers. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Torture and political violence results in fear and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">terror that disseminates throughout the community </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and entire country. In addition to the physical and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">psychological impacts on the individual victims, such </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">torture and political violence sends a chilling message </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to others: "Be silent or this could happen to you." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">At least 459 cases of human rights violations have been </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">documented by human rights organizations between </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">March 11, and May 1, 2007.7 Dr. Douglas Gwatidzo, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Chairman of ZADHR noted the following: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">What they are doing is targeting individuals that are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the leaders and organizers and secretaries that organize </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">groupings. They come in the middle of the night, pick </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">you up, beat you and leave you there. They don't care </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">if you die; that is one way they are beating people into </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">submission. March 11 was the peak, it came down, but </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">now it is a sustained level. They want people to be aware </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">if anyone dares oppose the government this is what is </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">going to happen to you8. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Dr. Reginald Matchaba-Hove of the University of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe College of Health Sciences, a leading public </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">health expert in Zimbabwe described the current </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence as follows: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">7. Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Zimbabwean </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Association of Doctors for Human Rights. A Brief Report of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Human Rights Violations in Zimbabwe since March 11 2007. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Submitted to the African Commission on Human and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">People's rights, May 2007. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">8. Unless otherwise noted all quotes in this report come from </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">testimony collected by Bellevue/NYU researchers. Precise </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">interview dates and locations have been omitted for security </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">reason.</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">8 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">any threats of violence will be taken seriously by local </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">populations. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The upsurge in state instigated violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">since March 2007 has been documented by several </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">organizations including Human Rights Watch (HRW),9 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">(ZADHR),10 Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">(ZLHR),11 the Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum12 and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Solidarity Peace Trust (SPT),13 a non-governmental </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">organization registered in South Africa. SPT compiled </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">information from independent interviews with 414 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwean victims of human rights abuses during </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">March, April and May 2007, including targeted </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">attacks against the leadership of the MDC and the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">civic movement in Zimbabwe. In 90% of the attacks </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the perpetrators involved government agencies such </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">as the police and Central Intelligence Organization </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">(CIO). MDC activists and leaders were frequently </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">targeted outside of police stations, and at times they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were taken from their homes. Eighty percent of the 414 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">interviewees in SPT's report had physical injuries, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in all of these cases corroborating medical evidence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was documented. Soft tissue injuries were particularly </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">frequent, as were body aches and headaches, sleep </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">disturbances, anxiety and depression. Thirty percent of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">these 414 individuals reported being victims of torture. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Access to necessary medical care for victims of political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence was also a significant concern following </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the events of March 11th. On March 13, 2007 ZADHR </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">reported:14 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">9. Human Rights Watch. Bashing Dissent: Escalating Violence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and State Repression in Zimbabwe. May 2007. Available at: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">http://hrw.org/reports/2007/zimbabwe0507/. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">10. Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Zimbabwean </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Association of Doctors for Human Rights. A Brief Report of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Human Rights Violations in Zimbabwe since March 11 2007. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Submitted to the African Commission on Human and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">People's rights, May 2007. Also see following website for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">several reports/statements relating to political violence since </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">March 11 2007: http://kubatana.net </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">11. Ibid. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">12. Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum. http://www. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">hrforumzim.com. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">13. Solidarity Peace Trust. Destructive Engagement: Violence, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Mediation and Politics in Zimbabwe. Johannesburg, South </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Africa: Solidarity Peace Trust. July 10 2007. Available at: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">http://www.solidaritypeacetrust.org. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">14. Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Update on denial of access to treatment of detained activists. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">March 13 2007. Available at: http://www.kubatana.net/ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">It is systematic. It is not random. It is not the use of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">torture by police who are overzealous. It is not that there </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was a demonstration and things got out of hand and this </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">is what happened. This is not the case. As we speak now, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">there is still a stream of people who are specifically being </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">targeted. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Bulawayo-based healthcare worker said: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">We are concerned about more violence because the last </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">time we had any violence—the destruction of homes—it </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">started from Harare and then came here and it was very </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">severe. If it happened there, it will happen here. We are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">an opposition region. If there is a campaign, it wants to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">destroy any opposition. We are bound to suffer from that </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence as well. Because we are a region that has always </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">been opposed to the government in that manner the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">government is likely to destroy us before the elections. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Following the disruption of the peaceful demonstrations </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in Harare on March 11, 2007, torture and political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence has escalated, much of it aimed at prominent </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">opposition leaders, particularly those affiliated with </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the MDC. Several of these leaders, including Sekai </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Holland and Grace Kwinje, senior MDC officials, were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">evacuated to South Africa for medical care. The political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence did not stop with these leaders, however, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">raising concerns that the government has launched a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">methodical campaign to eliminate any trace of political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">opposition in Zimbabwe. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A human rights activist observed, "Zimbabwe allows </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">someone into parliament and then tortures them with </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">impunity. There hasn't been one single individual </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">charged." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Dr. Matchaba-Hove, who served as Chairperson of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe Election Support Network from 2001-April </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">2007 predicted: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Violence will have a lot of effect on the outcome of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">election. Firstly it is a tool of intimidation. By beating </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">up people like Tsvangirai they are sending the message </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">that no one is safe. And when word gets out into the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">rural areas that you are not safe, this will have enormous </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">impact. There is already intimidation in past elections by </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">local tribal leaders who are loyal to the government—if </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">you don't vote for the government party you won't get </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">food aid. The president of the Chief's council Senator </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Charumbira went even a step further and said traditional </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">elders should evict those who vote for the opposition. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">So if you go into a situation next year, where you are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">already expecting drought, in a hotly contested election, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 9 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">condemns the denial of access to medical treatment of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">detained opposition and civic leaders that are in need </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of urgent medical attention. ZADHR has been denied </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">access to those concerned since their arrest on the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">morning of Sunday 11 March 2007. Denial of access to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">treatment continues to violate the rights of those detained </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and threatens their lives. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Notwithstanding a High Court order granted at 8:1_pm </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">on Monday 12 March 2007 compelling the police to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">grant legal and medical access to those detained, the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe Republic Police has denied access to the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">injured activities in defiance of the court order. Medical </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">practitioners that attempted to access those in need of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical treatment on the night of Monday 12 March </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">following the granting of the court order were denied </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">access. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ZADHR remains concerned that the condition of those </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">who sustained injuries as a result of torture and assault </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">may be worsened by delayed access to medical treatment. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">It is crucial that all those in need of medical attention be </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">transferred to a medical facility that affords them the best </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">possible medical care immediately. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Medical Organizations in Africa and internationally </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">have spoken out against human rights abuses in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe in recent months as well as delays in access </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to medical care for victims of political violence and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">harassment of Zimbabwean doctors assisting these </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">victims. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">In April 2007, the South African Medical Association </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">issued the following statement: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Recent events of violence and human rights abuse in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe have grabbed the attention of the world press. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">As the South African Medical Association (SAMA), we </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">condemn any form of human rights abuse and cannot </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">remain silent on such issues," said SAMA Chairperson, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Dr Kgosi Letlape, in response to international headlines </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">on the Zimbabwe situation. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">SAMA has always advocated for the protection and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">promotion of human rights, irrespective of individuals' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political affiliations. "The allegations relating to denial of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">access to health care are serious since this is a fundamental </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">html/archive/hr/070313zadhr.asp?orgcode=zim065&amp;year=0 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">&amp;range_start=1 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">human right and entitlement of every person," Letlape said. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The Medical Association is aware of the plight of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">people of Zimbabwe not only through media headlines, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">but also through the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">for Human Rights (ZADHR). ZADHR has highlighted </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">events where doctors in Zimbabwe are being victimised </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and prevented from treating political victims of human </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">rights abuses. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Doctors' autonomy and independence is a firm principle </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">which is entrenched in national and international </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">policies, such as the World Medical Association Code </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of Medical Ethics and Declaration on Professional </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Autonomy and Self Regulation. "The Hippocratic Oath </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">will not allow us to compromise these principles," Letlape </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">continued, "and doctors in all countries must be allowed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to treat patients in need of medical attention, and to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">practise medicine without the fear of violence." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">SAMA, like other National Medical Associations, have </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">an essential role to play in calling attention to any </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">human rights violations. Letlape urged, "The United </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Nations' Charter and the Universal Declaration on </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Human Rights, of which Zimbabwe is a signatory </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">country, must be upheld."1_ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">In October 2007, the World Medical Association </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">(WMA) adopted a resolution on health and human </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">rights abuses in Zimbabwe which included calling on </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">its affiliated national medical associations to publicly </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">denounce all human rights abuses and violations of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the right to health in Zimbabwe, and actively protect </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">physicians who are threatened or intimidated for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">actions which are part of their ethical and professional </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">obligations. The WMA resolution also encouraged the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwean Medical Association (ZiMA) to commit </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to eradicating torture and inhumane, degrading </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">treatment of citizens in Zimbabwe and reaffirm their </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">support for the clinical independence of physicians.16 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwean President Mugabe's response to the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">torture and political violence following March 11 has </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">been to attempt to justify it. "If they (protest) again, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">we will bash them again," he declared in a speech in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">response to the March 11th violence, "We hope they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">have learned a lesson. If they have not, they will get </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">15. South African Medical Association. Press Release: SAMA </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">speaks out against human rights abuses. April 5 2007 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">16. World Medical Association. Resolution on Health and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Human Rights Abuses in Zimbabwe. Adopted by the WMA </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">General Assembly, Copenhagen, Denmark, October 2007. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Available at: http://www.wma.net/e/policy/a29.htm. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">10 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">similar treatment," he said later. Regarding the beating </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of MDC President Tsvangirai he said: "Yes, I told the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">African heads of state he was beaten, but he asked for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">it. I told the police, beat him a lot. He and his MDC </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">must stop their terrorist activities."17 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Medical documentation provides corroborating </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">evidence of torture and abuse.18 A number of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwean health professionals have developed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">extensive expertise and are internationally recognized </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">for their work in documenting and caring for victims </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of torture and political violence. In mid-April, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ZADHR19 reported that following March 11, 2007, at </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">least 49 individuals required hospitalization as a result </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of injuries from torture and political violence and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">an additional 175 individuals had been treated and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">discharged. Injuries included soft tissue injuries, head </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">injuries, fractures and gun shot wounds.20 International </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical organizations, including the International </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT)21 and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Physicians for Human Rights, Denmark22 have also </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">documented several cases of torture in Zimbabwe in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the past. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Ours is the first investigation of political violence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">conducted by international health experts since the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">March 11, 2007 prayer meeting. Our findings support </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">17. Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum. Their Words Condemn </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">them: The language of Violence, Intolerance and Despotism </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in South Zimbabwe. May 2007. Available at: http://www. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">hrforumzim.com/frames/inside_frame_special.htm. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">18. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">for Human Rights. The Istanbul Protocol. Available at: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">http://www.ohchr.org/english/about/publications/ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">docs/8rev1.pdf; Iacopino V, Allden K, Keller A. Examining </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Asylum Seekers. A Health Professional's Guide to Medical and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Psychological Evaluations of Torture. Boston: Physicians for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Human Rights; 2001. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">19. For a complete list of publications/documents prepared </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">by ZADHR see http://www.kubatana.net/html/sectors/ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">zim065.asp?like=Z&amp;details=Tel&amp;orgcode=zim065 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">20. Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Update on Assaults, Torture and Health Rights Violations Since </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">March 11 2007. April 15 2007. Available at: http://www. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">kubatana.net/html/archive/hr/070415zadhr.asp?orgcode=z </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">im065&amp;year=0&amp;range_start=1. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">21. IRCT. Organised Violence in Zimbabwe. June 2000. Available </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">at: http://www.hrforumzim.com/members_reports/ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">irct000606/irct000606e8.htm. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">22. Physicians for Human Rights, Denmark. The Presidential </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Election: 44 days to go. January 2002. Available at: http:// </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">www.solidaritypeacetrust.org/reports/pres_election.pdf. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the assertions of other organizations that there has </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">been an upsurge in state violence since March 2007. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">This report contains credible first-hand testimony from </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabweans who have suffered torture and political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence since March 2007 and provides evidence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">that the Zimbabwean government is systematically </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">deploying torture and violence as a means of deterring </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political opposition, with devastating consequences for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">health and human rights. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 11 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">IV. TRAUMA EXPERIENCED </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">BY INVESTIGATION </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">PARTICIPANTS </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Nature of Traumatic Events </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Experienced </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">All 24 of the victims reported a history of torture/ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political violence within the past year. Twenty (83%) </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">had experienced torture/political violence on or </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">since March 11, 2007 (See Table 2: History of Political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Violence/Torture). More than half (63%) reported </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">experiencing torture/political violence prior to March </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">2007 as well. All reported a substantial fear of further </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence in the period after March 11, 2007. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Individuals interviewed reported having been </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">subjected to a number of different forms of physical </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">torture/abuse (See Chapter V), most commonly </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">beatings with fists, kicking with boots, or beatings </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with objects (shambocks, whips, gun butts). One </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">particularly common form of torture was falanga-- </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">beatings on the soles of the feet. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Other physical forms of torture/abuse reported </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">included being shot; stabbed with knives or other </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">sharp objects; having food, water and basic medical </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">care withheld; being forced into contact with urine, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">feces, and sewage; and being subjected to electrical </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">shocks. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Individuals also reported a variety of psychological </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">abuses including verbal abuse, threats to themselves </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and their loved ones, and humiliations such as being </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">forced to undress or drink urine. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Commonly reported perpetrators of torture/political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence included the police, members of the Central </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Intelligence Organization (CIO), "War Veterans," and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ZANU-PF Youth. More than half of the individuals </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">interviewed (63%) reported having been jailed because </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of their political activities. Another 21% reported </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">a history of being abducted by groups, such as the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Central Intelligence Organization, ZANU-PF Youth, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and War Veterans (see Table 3: Trauma History, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and Chapter V). All of the individuals who were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">imprisoned or abducted reported a history of torture. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Health Consequences of Torture/ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Political Violence Experienced </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">All 24 of the individuals examined had clear, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">corroborating physical evidence of their torture/abuse. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">All continued to suffer from significant physical and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">psychological symptoms as a result of their torture/ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">abuse (See Table 3 and Chapter VI). </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">In addition to clinical interviews, profound </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">psychological distress was confirmed by standardized </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">psychological measures (the Harvard Trauma </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Questionnaire for posttraumatic stress disorder </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">–PTSD- and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">for depression and anxiety). These measures were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">completed by 18 of the 24 individuals evaluated. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Eighty nine percent reported substantial symptoms </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of anxiety, 83% reported substantial symptoms of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">depression and 76% reported substantial symptoms of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">PTSD (See Tables 4 and 5 and Chapter VI). </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Many injuries led to persistent pain that was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">aggravated by delayed or inadequate access to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">healthcare (See Chapter VII). </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Among the 15 individuals who were jailed, 7 reported </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">significant delays in receiving needed medical care </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">while in custody, and 6 reported being denied legal </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">services while in custody (see Chapter VII). </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">12 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">V. STATE SPONSORED </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">TORTURE AND VIOLENCE </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">AFTER MARCH 11 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Since the events of March 11, 2007, the Zimbabwean </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">government has brutally and systematically sought </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to suppress political opposition with state sponsored </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">torture and political violence. This was confirmed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in detailed medical/forensic evaluations of 24 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwean victims of torture and political violence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">as well as in interviews with non governmental </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">organizations, human rights advocates and health </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">professionals. The violence is targeted not only at </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">prominent leaders of the political opposition but at </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ordinary citizens as well. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Under Zimbabwe's own constitution torture is </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">illegal.1 Article 15 of the Zimbabwean Constitution </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">states: "No person shall be subjected to torture or </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to inhuman or degrading punishment or other such </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">treatment." Additionally, Zimbabwe is a signatory </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to a number of international treaties, including the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and the African Charter on Human and People's </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Rights that forbid torture and other cruel inhuman or </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">degrading treatment or punishment.2 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Political Violence and the Events of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">March 11 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">On March 11, 2007, the MDC held a prayer meeting in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Highfield, just outside Harare. The following accounts </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">relate to the subsequent torture and political violence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">perpetrated against individuals who attended the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">prayer meeting. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">1. Constitution of Zimbabwe, Articles 15. Available at: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">http://www.kubatana.net/docs/legisl/constitution_zim_ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">070201.doc </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">2. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">adopted December 16, 1966, G.A. res. 2200A (XX1), 21 U.N. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">GAOR Supp. (No. 16) at 52, U.N. Doc. A.6316 (1966), 999 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">U.N.T.S. 171, entered into force March 23, 1976, acceded to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">by Zimbabwe, May 13, 1991, Article 7; African Charter on </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Human and People's Rights, adopted June 27, 1981, OAU doc. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">CAB/LEG/67/3rev.5.21.l.LM.58 (1982), entered into force </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">October 21, 1986, ratified by Zimbabwe in 1986, Article 5. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The case of KF </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">KF, an MDC leader and organizer of the March 11 rally </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">described the scene as follows: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Unfortunately before the prayer meeting could start, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">we saw police details all over the place. They ordered </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">us to disperse, claiming we are not coming for a prayer </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">meeting but a political meeting. As we resisted, they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">started beating us. They indiscriminately started beating </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">people with clubs, using tear gas. Then there were some </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">water cannons. So there was confusion all over the place. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">KF described subsequent indiscriminate shooting </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">by police, including witnessing MDC member, Gift </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Tandare, shot and killed: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They started firing live ammunition into the crowd. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Eventually, they shot Gift Tandare in front of me. I tried </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to help him but it was too late. From then, I could see that </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">he was dead. I called his name, but he could not respond. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I told my other colleagues that our friend has died. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">When KF learned that MDC president Morgan </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Tsvangirai had been arrested and beaten, he went to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the police station where Mr. Tsvangirai was being held: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">When I asked why the president was being beaten, I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was also beaten severely [by police] with sticks, the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">butt of the gun, and kicked with boots. As they beat </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">me they said 'We are beating you for trying to unseat </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the government.' We were detained there overnight, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">myself and the others. Then the following day we were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">transferred to the Harare Central Police Station. Then </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">we were again tortured, this time by members of CIO </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">(Central Intelligence Organization). They were in plain </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">clothes. We were in their office at the time. This time, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they beat me in my genitals, with a small rubber stick. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I was ordered to remove all of my clothes. They beat me </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and wanted me to testify on other plans that the MDC </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was engaging in. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">While he was in custody, KF was blindfold and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">forced to drink a liquid that he thinks was urine. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Subsequently, KF was released without any charge. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">KF also described three previous severe beatings </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">related to his political activities. Following his most </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">recent beating, KF continued to suffer from frequent </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">headaches. He also noted decreased hearing in one of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">his ears, having injured his ear when he was thrown </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">against a wall. Physical examination revealed multiple </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 13 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">scars consistent with the events he described. This </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">included several well-healed thin linear scars from </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the stab wounds, as well as multiple scars on his back </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and a smooth indented scar on his left anterior lower </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">leg, consistent with an injury from being kicked. A </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">perforation in his left tympanic membrane (ear drum) </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was noted and hearing in his left ear is decreased </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">compared to the right. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Fearing for his safety, KF remained in hiding following </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">his most recent abuse. Government authorities </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">continued to come to his house looking for him: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They threatened my family, almost on a daily basis. They </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">came to investigate trying to find out my whereabouts. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They said to my wife if she was not going to reveal my </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">whereabouts, they would arrest her, until I surrendered </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">myself to the police. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">KF suffered from a number of psychological </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">symptoms of depression and post traumatic stress </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">disorder (PTSD) including feelings of sadness, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">difficulty sleeping and frequent nightmares. He is </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">intensely worried about his family: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The trouble that my family is facing is very upsetting </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to me. I am the provider for the family. In nightmares, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I imagine being beaten again in the police cells. I think </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">about it a lot when I am awake too. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The case of RP </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">RP is another victim of the political violence on March </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ll. RP is a 35 year old male who works for the MDC </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and who described being with Morgan Tsvangirai </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">when he went to a police station to visit other MDC </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">supporters who had been arrested: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">When we had arrived, we were outside the police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">station and we were mobbed by police officers, who </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were shouting vulgar words at the MDC president. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Because they were advancing toward us we ran into the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">police station.... we saw all the other MDC supporters </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and civic organizers. They were all lying down and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">being beaten, including Sekai Holland, Grace Kwinje, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Tendai Biti (the Secretary General), Nelson Chamisa </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the Information and Publicity officer for the MDC, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and Lovemore Maduku the Chairman of the National </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Constitutional Assembly. They were all lying down face </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">down being beaten by many police officers. I saw this </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with my own eyes. They were using all sorts of weapons </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">like shambocks (whips), sticks and some metal iron bars. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">When we arrived there, Mr. Tsvangirai was told to lie </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">down. He was forced to lie down. And immediately before </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">he lied down, a female police officer started to beat him, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and the rest joined in. They said 'You are the leader of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">these people and we want you to tell Blair and George </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Bush to remove the sanctions and to tell them they must </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">leave Zimbabwe alone.' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Subsequently RP was beaten himself: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They started beating me all over my body. They beat </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">me on the head, on the ribs on the shoulder-everywhere </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">all over the body, with the sticks iron bars, some were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">jumping on my ribs to the extent that I passed out 3 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">times. Then they told me, 'You must go and tell the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">MDC supporters that the only president is Mugabe. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Tsvangirai is not the president.' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Violence Against MDC Members and Local </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Organizers: The Cases of CJ and SP </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Violence on March 11 was directed at local MDC </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">organizers and ordinary citizens in addition to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">prominent MDC leaders. For example, CJ, a thirty </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">year old woman and an MDC member who holds no </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">position with the MDC, was with a group of people </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">planning to attend the public prayer service when she </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was arrested. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">We were taken by the police to the Highfield police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">station. They were accusing us of being Tony Blair's </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">people and they wanted the money given by Tony Blair. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I was hit all over the body. I was lying down on the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ground. They would beat you harder if you cried out. I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was beaten with iron bars, batons and open hands. After </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">one hour we were taken to Central police station. I was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">already in great pain. We spent all day at Central police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">station. I was not beaten there. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Subsequently, CJ was taken to another police station </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">where she was held for 3 days. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Then they were shouting at us there 'What do you get </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">from Morgan Tsvangirai?' We were not given water or </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">food for 3 days... We were in separate cells. I asked for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">food, and they said 'No you are not given food.' There </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was no bed, I slept on the floor. I was in great pain. I had </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">pain all over my body. There were no blankets. I wished I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">would just die because I was in such pain. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">In addition to suffering pain, CJ also described having </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">blisters on her legs and bruises on her back from the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">beatings. At the time of evaluation, CJ continued to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">14 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">suffer from pain in her legs and difficulty walking. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">She had lost 10kg. She described feelings of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">fearfulness, difficulty sleeping and concentrating </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and frightening memories of her abuse. She </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">appeared numb and demoralized with slow, weak </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">speech and gestures, avoidant eye contact and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">slouched posture. She provided limited details or </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">spontaneous expression during the interview and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">presented as profoundly depressed: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I still have the memories of what happened, especially </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">when I see police. I am afraid. I have nightmares </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">nearly every night about what happened in the police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">station. I am crying. Whenever I hear footsteps </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">outside, I feel scared, and I jump. When I was in the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">cells, I felt the death spirit. That thought still comes </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">back to me. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Physical examination confirmed the beatings she </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">described. Multiple linear hyperpigmented (i.e. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">darker than the surrounding skin) scars were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">present on her back. She had multiple nodular scars </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">on her legs and a prominent scar on her left leg at </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the site of her skin graft. Her gait was somewhat </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">unsteady, and she had difficulty bearing weight on </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">her left leg. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Another MDC member, SP, who is a local MDC </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">organizer, was also arrested on March 11. Prior </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to March 2007, SP had been arrested and tortured </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">approximately 10 times. On March 11, 2007, SP was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">arrested near Highfield along with several other </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">MDC members: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">We were taken to Harare Central Police Station. Then </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they started questioning us. They took me to a back </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">room and they came with the electric cords, and put </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the cord on my penis and shocked me for a second. I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">never received such a pain especially on my penis. It </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was terrible. They were saying 'Why were you going </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to the rally? Who authorized you to do?' They shocked </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">me two times. They didn't beat me so much, but the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">electricity was very painful. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">SP remained in jail for 3 days. Before being released, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">SP was ordered to pay a fine for inciting people to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">attend the rally, which SP noted had been allowed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">by the Zimbabwean High Court. Subsequently, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">SP reported he had learned that the CIO had been </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">looking for him and other local leaders on suspicion </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of being involved in petrol bombings of police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">stations, which he denied: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They arrested more than 12 activists and they are still in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">prison. After they put them in prison, they tortured those </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">guys. We saw pictures of them in the court and we saw </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the pictures they had blood and swollen heads...They are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">torturing and making sure you won't do anything. In the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">past- in 2000- I was forced to sign an affidavit, putting </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">allegations on myself-like beating police officers. They </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were not truthful. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Fearing for his safety SP fled to South Africa: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">If I go back they will definitely arrest and torture me. If </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they arrest me, they will definitely torture me until I say </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">what they want me to say-that we were doing all of those </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">activities-I wasn't doing any of that. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">SP described experiencing chronic pain in his right leg </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and hand since they were broken by police in incidents </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">when he was arrested prior to 2007. He also frequently </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">experienced headaches. He was haunted by memories </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of his trauma: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I have bad dreams especially these days. It is terrible </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I dream about all the people being beaten. I feel very </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">nervous. I am afraid even of my shadow walking in the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">street. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I'm very worried for my family. They can do anything. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Last time they beat my wife, she had a miscarriage. I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">haven't been able to communicate with my family. What </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they are doing is trying to put people who are influential </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in prison so they can't do anything and then beat them. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">When I was arrested, in March, they said 'We will make </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">sure that you never lead this country because you never </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">went to war.' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">On physical examination, SP was found to have </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">a scar on his forehead and a well healed smooth </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">elliptical hyperpigmented scar on the back of his right </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">wrist consistent with the history of the beatings he </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">described. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Violence by Perpetrators Other Than the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Police: The Case of YD </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Police were by no means the only ones perpetrating </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence on March 11. YD, a 29 year old male who </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">worked in the national MDC office was stopped by </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">police at a road block en route to the prayer rally at </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Highfield. He was subsequently turned over by the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">police to members of the Youth militia: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 15 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">When we got there the roads were sealed and the police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were beating people with baton sticks and the butt of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the guns. I saw this. We were stopped by police officers </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and then taken by guys in civilian clothes. One of them </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">showed us an official card of the youth militia and asked </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">if I had one (he did not). I was handcuffed by the police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with my hands behind my back the moment I was taken </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">from the roadblock. The police put the handcuffs on and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">turned me over to the youth group. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Subsequently, YD was taken by the 6 men in civilian </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">clothes to the Southerton police station: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They had guns. Then they made us stay outside the police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">station, and waiting for a vehicle. Then we were taken in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">a vehicle to another place. I was blindfolded. They were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">shouting telling me, 'You are going to meet Tsvangirai in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">hell. Tsvangirai is also dying. Tsvangirai is being beaten </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">right now, who are you? We understand Tsvangirai is </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">causing trouble, we have been given information that you </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">have been trained to fight the government, and it was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">part of the strategy to destabilize the country. Therefore </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">you are a sellout for Tsvangirai.' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">At the second location, YD was placed alone in a room. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">He was forced to remove all his clothing except his </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">underwear. His blindfold was removed, but his hands </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were still cuffed behind his back. Then he was beaten: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They hit me with the baton sticks all over my body, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">including my shoulders and on the bottom of my feet. I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was very weak. They said, 'This person won't talk, we </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">must try some other means.' They said, 'Do you know </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">what is torture?' A woman came into the room. She said </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">'I am a mother-I can't accept this kind of beating.' They </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">put my head inside her dress and said 'What do you see?' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I said I can't see anything. They kept saying 'Why are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">you saying nothing?' and kept beating me, so I said I can </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">see red pants. Then the lady hit me very hard across my </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">face and said 'You are telling people what I am wearing.' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">YD was told that his torturers had information about </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">him and his family, including where his parents lived </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and that his sister was a government employee. He </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">reported that his sister had previously been harassed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">at work as a result of his activities. He was told that if </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">he gave them information about the MDC, he and his </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">family would not be hurt. Otherwise, they would be </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">harmed: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They told me the name of my father, my mother, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">where my sister worked. They said we know everything </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">about your family. So you must know your life is really </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">shit, either for you or your family. If you don't tell us </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">what we want to know –they wanted to know about the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">MDC and what it was planning. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Subsequently YD was hit on the head and lost </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">consciousness: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The next thing that I remember, I woke up. I was lying </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">along the road outside of Harare. I was now wearing </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">my clothes. I was soaked with blood. I suspect that they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">thought I was dead. Somebody who was driving along the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">road shook me and I woke up. They told me I am badly </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">injured. I looked at my clothes. I could feel too much pain </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">from my head and I had a very big wound. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">YD described significant difficulty obtaining medical </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">care for his head wound. (See Chapter VII) </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Subsequently, he learned that authorities were looking </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">for him: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">My [relative] got a message that there were some people </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">at my place looking for me and wanting to arrest me </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">saying I was involved in the violence and part of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">people who had dropped petrol bombs [on police stations]. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">But I was being beaten by those people at the time when </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the bombing happened. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Fearing for his safety, YD decided to leave for South </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Africa. His family was also living in hiding. "I sent </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">them to the rural area because their life was in danger. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">We couldn't stay together." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">After his beatings, YD continued to suffer from </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">frequent headaches, chronic dizziness, poor vision </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and back pain. He also experienced psychological </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">symptoms including difficulty sleeping, frequent </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">nightmares and feeling easily startled. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">On physical examination, he had several well healed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">scars on his back and legs consistent with the beatings </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">he described. There was point tenderness over the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">lumbosacral region (lower back). On the left posterior </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">aspect of his skull was a large open ulceration (6 1⁄2 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">centimeter by 4 centimeters), with granulation tissue. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Violence Against Women </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Five of the victims of torture and political violence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">whom we interviewed were women. This is consistent </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with other recent reports of state-sponsored gender </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">based violence in Zimbabwe. For example, in a July </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">16 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">2007 report by Solidarity Peace Trust3 presenting </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">information on 414 Zimbabwean victims of political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence in March, April and May 2007, 24% were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">women. A recent report by Amnesty International4 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">also highlighted the increasing number of women </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">subjected to torture and violence as a result of their </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political activities. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Noted Zimbabwean public health expert, Dr. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Matchaba-Hove: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Women have been turning out in larger numbers for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">leadership positions in the opposition. Women have </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">been able to reach across the political divide to deal </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with issues not only pertaining to the representation </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of women in governance, but also on how to resolve </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the crisis in Zimbabwe. My guess is that there is a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">sense that some of these women have been the key in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">mobilizing for the opposition; so disable them and the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">opposition is significantly affected. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The following two cases illustrate such gender based </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The case of Sekai Holland_ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Sekai Holland is a 64-year old woman in baseline </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">good health who is a prominent MDC leader. She is </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">active in her district and nationally in party politics, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">strategy, and activism including the prayer meeting </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">scheduled for March 11th. She reported careful </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">planning on the part of party leaders on how to use </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">non-violent techniques to critique the ZANU-PF </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">government. Party leadership agreed to be present </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and risk being jailed at the demonstration. She </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">explained, "The Women's Assembly met and said </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">we must find a strategy to lead any function we have </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">where there is bashing up." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">3. Solidarity Peace Trust. Destructive Engagement: Violence, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Mediation and Politics in Zimbabwe. Johannesburg, South </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Africa: Solidarity Peace Trust. July 10, 2007. Available at: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">http://www.solidaritypeacetrust.org. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">4. Amnesty International. Zimbabwe. Between a rock and a hard </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">place-women human rights defenders at risk. July 2007. Available </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">at: http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR460172 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">007?open&amp;of=ENG-ZWE </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">5. Ms. Holland was interviewed for this report in her </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">hospital room in Johannesburg, South Africa on April 26, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">2007 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">So we met on March 11 at the YMCA. As we got out, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the militia was coming to the YMCA. They were going </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in, we were going out. When we got to Highfield, the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">police told us not to come. But we agreed to have a prayer </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">meeting. So we told the police we are going to have a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">prayer meeting. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Police then arrested them before the prayer meeting </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">had begun: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">So we were made to lie down in an L shape. There were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">about 60 of us, and the militia started to beat us up... </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">There was one woman with boots who was jumping on </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the women. She made a hole on me which required plastic </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">surgery. She was calling us prostitutes of Tony Blair. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Ms. Holland described that once Morgan Tsvangirai </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">had arrived the police began calling their names and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">torturing them individually: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I got up, and when I was called there were _ men... </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and I was standing in the center, and each was holding </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">a different instrument, and several men hit me. I said, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">why are you hitting me? They said, you are Tony Blair's </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">prostitute...When we got out I was hit on the back. And </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they said, 'hit her on the buttocks a lot.' When I got into </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the charge office, they kept beating me. So I went out </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of the charge office being hit on the back and hit on the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">front. I had this done to me three times. A woman said </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">'sit there.' Several men came to hit me. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They had broken my glasses and my watch. They said, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">'Do you want these? I took the glasses and put them in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">my shoes. They said, 'She is still using her hands.' And </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">so now they were breaking my left hand. And then we </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were told to go. [Someone] said, 'I think you have broken </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">your feet.' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">At this point a large truck arrived to carry the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">arrested activists. When some younger demonstrators </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">attempted to help Ms. Holland to the truck, they were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">beaten. "[The police] made us lie down on the truck, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">face down. It was very hot, it was late afternoon. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">People started to vomit. I had diarrhea. All of us were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">bleeding." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The arrested were taken to a central police station: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Before, I felt the first strike. After that I didn't feel any </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">pain in my body. They made me lie on the grass. Holding </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the grass gave me comfort. What I remember is this </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">multistory building. Police lined every window. There </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 17 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was not one smile, they were all very grim. They were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">very upset. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The prisoners were then transported to various police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">stations. Ms. Holland made an effort to be dropped </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">at the first station because she felt so ill. "At every </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">station they took off a CIO (Central Intelligence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Organization officer). They went to different police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">stations, dropping different people off." At the jail she </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">requested to use the toilet. "I knew if we were not to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">be killed this was the time to drink a lot of water and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">wash myself." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">We were then taken into the cell. [Another prisoner] was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">so shocked by my condition. She took from the prison </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">blankets and cleaned me. A woman dragged me and got </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">me something to drink... In the morning, she went to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">court; I was left alone. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Ms. Holland said the police in the jail spoke to her </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">saying, "You know how you were injured you fell </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">from the truck." She remained in a lice-infested cell for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">3 days before she was brought to court with the others. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">There, lawyers insisted that the injured prisoners be </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">brought to the hospital for treatment. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Initially only a select few were to be taken to the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">hospital but Morgan Tsvangirai refused to go unless </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they were all taken for evaluation of their injuries. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Ultimately Ms. Holland and Mr. Tsvangirai required </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">treatment in the Intensive Care Unite. Ms. Holland </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">had a broken arm, a broken leg, several broken ribs, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and severe soft tissue injury to a hand. She required </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">surgical treatment of the leg fracture and ultimately </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">her doctors recommended transfer to a South African </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">hospital. In Johannesburg she had three additional </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">operations including skin grafts and additional rods </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">placed in her broken leg. She required transfer to a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">rehabilitation facility given the severity of her injuries </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and length of her hospital stay. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">During her hospitalization in South Africa Ms. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Holland reported having plain-clothes CIO visit her </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">room looking for another Zimbabwean victim. She </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">described fearfulness and insomnia from then on. "I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">had to sleep with the buzzer beside my head." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Ms. Holland described symptoms of numbing, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">insomnia, and hyperarousal. "I know I should be </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">angry, scared but I can't feel anything." She appeared </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">physically tired but alert and agitated. She was afraid </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to be left alone. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Ms. Holland began the interview by stating, "The </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">MDC has finally realized if we shut our eyes, the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">world will go to sleep and we will all die." When </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">asked if she planned to return to Zimbabwe she said, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">"I want to get well. I left my house to go to a prayer </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">meeting. The worst would be if they beat me and I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">never went back." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The case of DR </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">DR is a 62 year old woman who holds a district- </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">level administrative position in the MDC party. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Approximately 1 week after the March 11 prayer rally, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">she was arrested along with approximately 10 other </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">women while visiting her daughter who had been </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">injured in the March 11th events: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">We were ambushed and police started firing bullets </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">into the air outside the house. We told the police we </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">had come to see [my] injured daughter. Two young </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">kids [who were in the vicinity] ran away and they beat </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">up one young boy with bare hands. They were beating </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the kid up saying you should tell where the rest of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">women live. We were forced into [a truck] and driven </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to the police station. Several attempted to jump from </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the truck and were beaten up. One woman fell on her </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">face. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">DR was taken to a police station without being given </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">any explanation for their arrest: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">We obeyed what they said, we were very afraid because </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the police had guns and batons. We were all put in a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">holding cell, 11 of us, two with children on our backs, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">there was no light it was dark. Some of the women who </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">had been beaten up were crying...No one slept, we were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">sitting on the floor and there was nowhere to sleep. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">She described being taken for interrogation one at a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">time and hearing the screams of other women before </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">being taken in for her own interrogation. "They told </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">us they would beat us and use electricity, the woman </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">returned so badly beaten she could not stand on her </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">own." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Of her own interrogation DR said: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">After they could not get any information from me they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">began beating the bottom of my feet with a baton, I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">tried to escape by going under a table and they beat </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">my back and bottom with a baton. They were accusing </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">me of bombing one of the police stations and if I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">18 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">didn't give enough information they were going to use </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">electricity on me. I was very afraid and I thought I was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">going to die. It was extremely painful I could not walk </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">on my feet I could not sit I was actually crawling when </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they ordered me to go back. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Three days after being arrested, DR and the other </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">women were released with the assistance of an </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">attorney who had previously been prevented from </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">meeting with them (see Chapter VII). They were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">required to pay an admission of guilt fine, even </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">though, "The police could not give a reason why we </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were arrested, just following orders." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">DR was subsequently taken to a local clinic where she </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was treated for swollen, painful feet and lacerations </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">on the back and buttocks. She said she could not sit </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">or walk with swelling persisting for about a week. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">She continued to experience pain in her back and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">under her feet when walking. She also reported </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">several weeks of crying and "constant fear they would </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">come back" that has now subsided. She continued to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">have difficulty sleeping with occasional nightmares </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and flashbacks and frequent chest pain believed to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">be anxiety. She said, "There was one hole to use as </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">a toilet and since then I have lost my appetite. My </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">clothes don't fit anymore." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">On physical examination over one month after her </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">abuse, she had a resolving large bruise over the right </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">buttock and bilateral tender soles of her feet with </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">residual swelling. Her symptoms of acute stress had </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">improved which she attributed to avoiding thoughts </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of the beating and relying on support from church. She </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">remarked, "I feel very beat up because I was beaten up </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">for no apparent reason." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Violence and the Funeral of Gift </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Tandare </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Political violence continued at the funeral of MDC </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">member, Gift Tandare, who was shot and killed by </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">police at the March 11 prayer meeting. Several of those </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">interviewed reported being victims of violence while </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">gathering to attend his funeral. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The case of KP </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">KP, a male in his 20s who is active as a local organizer </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in the MDC Party, was one of the individuals injured </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">following Gift Tandare's death. He was with a crowd </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of people gathering outside of Tandare's home for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">his funeral when police arrived. "The police started </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">beating people," KP told us: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">As I tried to run away, I was shot in the arm. Another </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">guy next to me was shot on the ankle. The police just </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">arrived and didn't give any warning. They started </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">hitting people with sticks and then started shooting and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">people started running away. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">As KP fled the scene a bullet grazed his arm. He </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">sought medical care and his wound was cleaned and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">bandaged. Subsequently, he returned to the home </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">where the funeral was. "It was safer to go to the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">funeral than stay at home, because I know the police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were already looking for me. I was scared to go home. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I still don't go home." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">KP described the following: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I went back to the funeral, the police came back late in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the evening. Again the police started beating people and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">shouting 'What are you doing? Just go away.' So the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">people started running away. As I am starting to move, I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">just tried to run away. I was shot twice in the same arm. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">One of the bones was coming out of my skin. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">KP had been shot a second time. He required several </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">operations in the ensuing weeks. He continued </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to have significant weakness in the fingers of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">twice-injured arm. Physical examination confirmed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">decreased strength and sensation in several of his </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">fingers. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">KP described frequent nightmares (1-2 times per </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">week) about the events of his and Tandare's shooting. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">"I have nightmares about what happened, and when </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I am awake I think a lot about it. If somebody drops a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">bottle I jump and am easily startled." He said he slept </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">on average only 1-2 hours per night. He appeared </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">relaxed except when discussing the memories of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">being shot and chased, when he suddenly appeared </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">withdrawn, tense and moody. His fluctuations in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">mood and reported hyperarousal were consistent </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with signs of PTSD. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The case of GK </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">GK is a male in his 40's who serves as a local District </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">MDC organizer. He described being beaten while </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">attending Gift Tandare's funeral:</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 19 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The police came with a truck and I still remember there </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were police with guns and other with baton sticks. As </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they approached where we were, they started shooting </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">into the people. I saw one man shot. He was running </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">away. He was not doing anything to threaten the police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in any way. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Many people ran away. For the approximately 20 who </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">remained, GK described the following: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The police ordered us to lie down on the ground and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">started beating us. The beatings were so vigorous. They </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">would hit the head and the chest, using police boots, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">baton sticks and gun butts. We were lying face down, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and most of the injuries happened when we were lying </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">down. The beatings continued for about 30 minutes. The </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">police were yelling 'What do you want here?' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Over the subsequent days GK continued to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">experience pain, particularly in his left thumb, which </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">he subsequently learned was broken and required </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">surgery. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">GK described difficulty sleeping and is haunted by </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">recurrent memories and nightmares of his beatings. "I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">dream of bad things, those things that happened to me </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">keep coming back." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I am very very sad, this is my own country. The </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">government should be protecting me. If they are going </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to torture us you don't feel safe. Not at all. They come </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to your home. They come to your workplace. They come </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to your hospital. I feel sad every day. The injury on my </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">thumb reminds me of the danger. I'm always looking to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">see if I'm being watched. I try not to think about what </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">happened, but I can't help it. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">On physical examination GK had multiple linear scars </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">on his back, legs and buttocks consistent with the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">trauma he described. An x ray, which GK had in his </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">possession, showed surgical clips in his left thumb, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and an old fracture noted in the thumb. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Continued, Targeted Political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Violence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Violence continued in the weeks following the events </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of March 11 and the funeral of Gift Tandare. Several </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">individuals noted their perception of more systematic </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and sustained levels of violence continuing after </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">March 11. One MDC leader, LG, who was arrested, on </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">March 11 and severely beaten stated: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">In the previous episodes, the government would react and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">then stop. But now it is systematic. They've got a list6 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and they are following up so they will go to your own </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">place even in the rural areas where you are. This time </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">it's much more systematic. It's more thorough. They are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">leaving no stone unturned. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Before he was released 3 days later police warned LG </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to stop his political activities: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They said 'We know everything that is happening in the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">MDC. We know which meetings you have attended.' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">And they said 'If you are going to come back here for any </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">other charge you will regret it.' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">JT, an MDC member was arrested while attending the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">funeral of Gift Tandare, who was shot and killed at the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">March 11 prayer meeting. At the time of his arrest JT </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was hit by a police officer who shouted at him: 'You </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">assholes think that (MDC President) Morgan will rule </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">this country. We are going to finish you all.' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Any association with the MDC, real or perceived, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">meant the risk of assault or worse by police or </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">other government operatives. Lawyers observed a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">shift in methods of detention and torture toward </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">more frequent arrests, attacks on lower level rank </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and file members of the opposition, a more chaotic </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">manner of detention including late night arrests </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and frequent transfers of victims from police station </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to police station, as well as numerous charges of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">terrorism. Otto Saki, an attorney with Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) noted: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">What has been of concern to us as late, the acts </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of torture being carried out is systematic. The </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">individuals becoming the victims of torture at first </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were the high profile individuals. And now they are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">going for the middle layer, the individual on the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ground...If you are going to target the lower level </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">key players, you are weakening the structure (of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">6. Reports of such lists have appeared in several on-line </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwean news forums. Ncube B. Tsvangirai tops </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">fresh hit list. ZimOnline. April 19, 2007. Available at: www. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=1246; Staff Writer. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Exposed! Mugabe's hit list. ZimDaily.Com. April 5, 2007. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Available at: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">http://www.zimdaily.com/news/117/ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ARTICLE/1529/2007-04-05.html. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">20 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political opposition). The core of the (MDC) party is </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">not in the leadership but in the core structure. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">At present you have all these acts of torture being </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">carried out by the police and soldiers. It might even </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">give ZANU-PF the excuse to say these things are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">being carried out in the day-to-day enforcement of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">security. To them it's a way of saying they wash </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">their hands of involvement. That's our fear, within </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ZANU-PF. They try on state sanctioned violence and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">give that excuse that it is prosecution, but really its </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">persecution. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">On March 20, 2007, Harvest House, the MDC </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">headquarters was raided by the police. CF, who is </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">involved in political organizing in his province, was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">at Harvest House at the time of the raid: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They came in and took everyone who was there. About </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">300 people were arrested, including tenants there. We </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were taken to the Central Police Station in Harare </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and we were beaten thoroughly. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">CF subsequently was able to escape, and fearing </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">for his safety went into hiding. RP, who visited </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Harvest House shortly after the raid, described the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">following: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I went into Harvest House, and I saw all the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">destruction they had done there--destroying </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">computers, destroying party documents. The doors in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the office were all broken off. Everything was turned </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">upside down, and they took whatever documents they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">saw there including birth certificates and passports. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">And then I learned they were looking for me. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They arrested most of the workers at Harvest House, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">many who are still in detention right now. And when </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they raided Harvest House, they arrested the MDC </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">youth who were there and they beat them up at the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Harare police station. And it is there that they alleged </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">that some of the youth were being trained to make </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">petrol bombs. That is what the police are saying and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they have been forced to sign some affidavits that they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">are involved in terrorist activities in Zimbabwe. But </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">we know it is false. These are being engineered by the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">police. And then from there, they started looking for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">me. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The following individual cases all took place during </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">this period following March 11 and the Tandare </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">funeral. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The case of FL </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">FL is a 25-year old man who is a member of the MDC </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and works in a shop. In mid-March he and about </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ten fellow employees were attacked by police while </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">closing up. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">We were about 7 boys and 3 girls, including the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">manager; they were riot police. We were trying to explain </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to them we were closing, we are at work, but they just </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">didn't listen and were beating us with baton sticks, while </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">others were watching us with guns. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">FL believed he was attacked because his workplace </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">is owned by an MDC member. During the attack, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the police said, "We know people at your shops are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">MDC." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">FL and several other employees were injured. "My </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">nose was bleeding and my left leg had a wound, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">my left hand was in severe pain." He reported that </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they were afraid to go to the hospital because they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">had heard CIO were looking for the injured at the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">government hospitals. He went home and did not </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">return to work or seek medical attention for a week </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">because he was afraid and it was painful to walk: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I was very afraid even up to now. The police told us if </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">we told anyone the story they would track us down. So I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">didn't go for help until the 20th because I couldn't walk. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">When FL finally saw a doctor he was found to have a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">broken hand requiring an operation to pin the bones. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">At the time of our evaluation, his right ankle remained </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">swollen and painful. He appeared frightened and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">had large fading bruises on his upper left thigh and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">left calf. He had a raised healing scar on his left shin, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">his right ankle was tender and had limited range of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">motion due to pain. His hand remained in a bandage </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">post-surgery. He complained of trouble concentrating, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">difficulty making decisions, fatigue, sadness and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">anxiety. He showed poor grooming, poor eye contact, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and had evidence of ruminating, hopeless thinking </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">indicative of depression. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">FL concluded the examination by explaining that he </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">couldn't decide whether or not to take his case to high </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">court because he was afraid he would be brought to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">prison. He considered leaving the country to be the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">safest option.</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 21 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Complicity of CIO, War Veterans, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ZANU-PF Youth post March 11 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">In addition to police, groups frequently cited as </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">targeting individuals for political violence with </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">impunity following March 11th included the Central </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Intelligence Organization (CIO), ZANU-PF war </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">veterans, and members of the ZANU-PF youth.7 In </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">many cases these groups were working directly with </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the police. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The case of VM </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">VM, a 45-year old male, is an MDC organizer in his </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">District. Before March 2007, he was in good health </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">without physical or psychological problems. On March </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">11, he traveled from his city to Harare to participate in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the prayer rally. When he saw the violence there, he </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">turned around and returned home. Several days later </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">members of the CIO came to his home: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They knew who I was. They said come with us, they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">didn't say why. There were 4 of them. They took me to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the (local) police station. On the way to the police station, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they stopped the vehicle, they took me to the bush, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they beat me very hard all over my body, with fists and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">sticks and boots. As they beat me they said 'You are the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">one causing trouble. You cause the violence.' They said </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they know me as an MDC organizer. They hit me on my </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">head and all over my body. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They had tied my hands with rope in the back of my arm </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">when they stopped the vehicle. Then they put me back </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in the car, and drove to the central police in Bulawayo. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">When they put me in the cell they said they would sort </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">me out. In the morning they took me to another office </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and they continued to beat me. I was lying down on the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ground. There were 6 men and they were hitting me with </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">baton sticks. They said they were beating me because I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">am a member of the MDC and that I had to resign from </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the party. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">7. While members of organizations such as the ZANU-PF </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">youth may wear characteristic uniforms, (e.g. ZANU-PF </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">youth often wear green military fatigues and are thus known </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">as "green bombers) community members in Zimbabwe are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">typically aware of political affiliations i.e. who is a member </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of which organization. This was confirmed in background </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">interviews with members of nongovernmental organizations </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">as well as in the interviews with victims of torture/political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence. When an individual was unsure of who their </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">abusers were, this is stated. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Subsequently, VM was returned to a prison cell where </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">he remained for 3 days and was then released. He </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was never formally charged with any crime. While </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">imprisoned, he was given food, but did not receive any </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical care for his injuries. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Abductions of the type described by VM were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">reported by 5 of the 24 victims interviewed for this </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">report. All were known or suspected of being active </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with the MDC. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The case of PG </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">PG is a 31-year old male who is a local MDC party </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">officer. PG had been arrested several times since 1999 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">because of his work as a local counselor for the MDC: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">If anything happened in the area, I was arrested. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Always when arresting you they are threatening and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">intimidating you and discouraging you from doing your </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political activities. Sometimes they would say 'You will </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">die for nothing, you are too young, why don't you pursue </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">your private life and get out of politics- it is a dangerous </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">game.' This was said to me by the police. Sometimes I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was beaten but not too badly. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">PG was abducted in late March after attending Gift </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Tandare's memorial service: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I was in my friend's car and we decided to stop at a local </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">shopping center. My friend went out and was looking </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">for some things. When he came back, we saw a group of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">men in civilian clothes surround our vehicle, and they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were calling out my name. They knew who I was. Then </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they forcibly removed me from the car. There were about </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">10 men in plain clothes. I tried to resist, but eventually I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was overpowered. They grabbed me and threw me in the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">back of a truck. Then a number of them jumped into the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">truck. Immediately I was blindfolded. From then, they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">drove away. I didn't know where I was going because I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was blindfolded. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">On our way to the destination, they were interrogating </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">me. They wanted to know any information about the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">MDC, what we were planning, what was my position. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They threatened me that I must give me as much </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">information as I could, otherwise, they were going to kill </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">me. Then they tied a string on my penis in the car. When </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they wanted me to speak, they would pull the string so </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I could feel the pain, and then I would cooperate. Then </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">we stopped. They changed the vehicle, and they stopped </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">again, and put us into another vehicle. And eventually, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they stopped it. And removed me from the car, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">22 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">made me lie down on the ground. At that time I didn't </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">know where I was-I was blindfolded and my hands were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">tied. They removed all my clothes, I was naked except </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">underwear. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They asked me 'Do you want water?' I said yes, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">then they started urinating in my mouth and all over </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">my body. One of them was claiming he fought for this </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">country and he was accusing us of being agents of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">imperialists-that we wanted this country to be colonized </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">again. Then they started to beat me all over the body. I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">don't know with what because I was blindfolded, but I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">suspect wooden sticks or iron bars or baton sticks. They </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">beat me all over, my back stomach, and legs,-particularly </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">my left leg. I don't think they kicked me. They were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">just using those weapons. I started shivering. When </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I started shivering they stopped beating me. I suspect </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they thought I was dying. While beating me, they made </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the same accusations- 'You are an imperialist and you </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">want this country to be colonized. You want ZANU-PF </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to be removed from power.' And they also were asking </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">'why did I attend the memorial service of someone I was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">not related to?' They threatened me that I was not to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">do MDC work. They asked me if I have children and a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">wife. They threatened that they would go and kidnap my </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">children if I did not cooperate. They asked me if I loved </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">my family. I said yes. They said if you love your family </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">then you must cooperate with them. Because if I don't do </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">that, they will do harm to my family. So when I started </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">shivering, they left me. They thought I was dying. Then </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">one of them left and removed the blindfold cloth, and this </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">time blindfolded me with tape, and then they went away. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They said 'Your party is not going anywhere. You are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">wasting your time, because by the election time, there </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">won't be any MDC to talk about and that you will be </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">dead.' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">After 20 minutes or so, when I couldn't hear their </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">voices, I was able to untie my hands, and then </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">removed the tape. Then I tried to stand up, and I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">couldn't. That's when I realized I fractured my left leg, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">because I couldn't walk with it. Luckily enough there </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was a wooden stick nearby. I used that wooden stick </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to walk slowly and I arrived at the nearest road. I was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">feeling weak, and I sat down. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">PG was eventually assisted by a passerby and went to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">a medical facility for care. An x ray showed a fracture </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">on his left leg and a cast was put on. While PG had </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">not experienced further threats as of April 2007, he </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">continued to be very frightened: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The other day there were some guys claiming to be police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">[they were not in uniform] visiting my neighborhood. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They were looking for another guy there and wanting </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to arrest him. So when I saw this it reminded me of my </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">experience and I felt unsafe, that maybe they would come </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">again to me. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The case of MS </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">MS is a 39-year old male with no physical or </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">psychological problems prior to March 2007. He is a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">local youth organizer for the MDC, as well as an active </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">member in a local community group, the Combined </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Harare Residents Association (CHRA). On March 11 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">he was on his way to the prayer meeting in Harare. "I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">met some ZANU-PF youth and they started pointing </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">at me, and we ran away." He learned that individuals </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">unknown to him had been coming to his home at </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">different hours of the day and night. "From then, I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">have been living a life of moving from one place to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">another. I haven't been sleeping well." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Near the end of April, MS went out with a friend to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">buy food. At the time he was wearing a CHRA T-shirt. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Several men in civilian clothing approached him and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">said, "We have been looking for you." He was forcibly </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">taken to a local ZANU-PF office: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They started beating me. They were saying 'Why are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">you putting on these T-shirts for an organization that is </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">an arm of the MDC?' They were beating us everywhere </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with baton sticks. And they knew my name and where </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I stayed. And they said we are only waiting for the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">time. And they beat us everywhere. I don't know what </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">happened--I collapsed. I had a cut on my chin and they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">broke my arm. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Subsequently MS was forced to swim in a nearby pool </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of dirty green water that he believed was overflow </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">sewerage: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They would beat us, make us swim in the water, then </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">bring us back to the office and beat us some more. This </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">happened 3 times. I got the most beatings, I was their </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">target. They beat us everywhere. As they beat us they said </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">'We are going to stop all of these small organizations--and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">if we can beat Tsvangirai, we can beat you.' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">MS was accused by his captors of participating in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">petrol bombings of police stations, which he denied. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">He was asked about future targets. "I told them I don't </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">know anything about it. But when you refused, they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 23 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">beat you more. They took the other guy's cell phone </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and were searching in the cell phone and calling the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">numbers, but they were all business numbers." MS </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was also forced to sing ZANU-PF songs while he was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">being beaten. After being beaten on the soles of his feet </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">he was forced to jog in place. "The floor was mixed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with blood and water. They made us use our T-shirts </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to clean that up, and then put them back on. It was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">quite humiliating." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">After approximately 4 hours they were released: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They said, 'We are releasing you but if anything happens </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">we will be coming back.' They asked me how much I was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">being paid by the MDC? I said it is for the love of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">country I want to be free. They said they would destroy </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the MDC. They said, 'Soon all of you will be gone. All </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of these opposition groups will be gone, we are going to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">destroy them.' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">After I was released, I went home because I was bloodied </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">all over. I was feeling cold all over my body. I hurt all </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">over, especially under my feet and my left arm-I couldn't </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">move it. I couldn't walk. I was walking on tip toes </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">because of the beatings on the bottom of my feet with </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">baton sticks. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Subsequently, MS sought medical care, and was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">found to have a fractured left arm. MS continued </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to experience pain in his arm and feet. On physical </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">examination MS had several linear scars on his back, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">each approximately 1⁄2 centimeter wide, consistent </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with his report of baton beatings. There was diffuse </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ecchymosis (black and blue marks) over his buttocks </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">bilaterally, consistent with having suffered recent </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">beatings there. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">He also described experiencing a number of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">psychological symptoms: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Sometimes I wake up in cold sweats, nightmares, as if I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">am fighting people. I have nightmares they are coming to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">take me away. If I am asleep, I hear cars passing, or even </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">if someone is walking here, I get frightened and wake up. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">And I switch off the light. I am afraid they will come for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">me here. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">MS was easily startled. "I try to get my mind off by </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">reading a lot, but even if I read a story which is violent </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">it jogs my memory. I try very hard not to think about </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">it. I push it away." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Increased Harassment and Fear post </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">March 11 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">State-sanctioned political violence against individuals </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">perceived as critical of the ruling authorities in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe pre-dated the events of March 11, 2007. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Such individuals described increased fear after March </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">2007, even if they have not been victims of violence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">since then. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The case of ER </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ER, a 42-year old teacher from Bulawayo who holds no </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">formal position with the MDC, was harassed in 2006 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">because of a writing assignment he gave his students: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I wrote a comprehension passage for the students, where </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I described how the main lion is eventually kicked out of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the pride. The reason is that his muscles will be weak, his </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">teeth will be worn out, but the voice remains sharp. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">While he did not refer to President Mugabe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">specifically, the Central Intelligence Organization </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">called him in for questioning about why he was being </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">critical of the President. Subsequently, local leaders </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">fired him and he was instructed to leave the district. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">He then moved to another district, where he again </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">began teaching: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Two men came to the school where I was teaching. They </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">identified themselves as being from the CIO. They said </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">'Let's go to the police camp,' which is 30 km away. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">We started walking, and when we reached an area of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">thicket and bushes, they said, 'Let's go there and take a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">rest.' And we left the road into the bush, and that's where </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they had their torture instruments. They had a bag with </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">water, and big plastic ring, and batons. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They beat me up very badly with their fists and batons. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They kicked me. They said 'Tell us what you are doing </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with the MDC.' And then I said nothing. And so they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">said 'Now we are going to make you talk.' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">And they put salty water inside a plastic bag. So one </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">opened it and said, put your head inside. I was leaning, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">so I did that. And then they put the plastic thing around </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">my neck, and then up so the bag with the water was on </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">my head. I couldn't talk or breathe. Each time I would </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">fall down, they would beat me very hard on the feet-my </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">shoes were off. I swallowed a lot of water. Because each </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">time you feel the pain you scream. When they removed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">24 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the bag, I was choked and felt weak. They said 'We know </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">what you have been doing. We are going to get you and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">get you to talk.' So I was almost unconscious and then </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they left. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I woke up during the evening. I tried to walk, but I could </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">not walk, because my feet were sore, and so I had to crawl </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">back to school where a friend, another teacher, took me </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to hide me. So I stayed there for a week. I was in pain all </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">over. I was coughing. I was bleeding. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Fearing for his safety, ER went into hiding. He learned </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">that CIO agents repeatedly came to his house looking </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">for him: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The same plain-clothes men kept coming to my house and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">asking my wife where I was, she said she didn't know, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">that maybe I was dead. She said they threatened to take </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">her. She said, 'Who will take care of the children?' so they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">left her. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">At the time of our evaluation, ER had fled to South </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Africa out of increased fear following the events of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">March: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I was in hiding during March because I was still </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">suffering from the beatings in December. So I was in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">hiding because they were looking for me and are still </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">looking for me. I would have come earlier but I had no </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">money. I was sick from the beatings. It has taken several </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">months after the beatings to regain my strength. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The case of RC </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Other individuals who had not been tortured or </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">beaten since March 11 described direct threats to either </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">themselves or their family. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">For example, RC, a 35-year old male active in local </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">MDC political activities, had been arrested and briefly </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">detained several times prior to March 11 for his political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">activities. He was not beaten during these arrests, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">except for once in 2002, when he was beaten on his back </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and head by police with sticks and gun butts. Since then </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">he has suffered from chronic backaches and headaches. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Following the March 11 violence in Harare, RC helped </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to organize a rally in his city: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">We had about 400-500 people marching. And the message </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was put across clearly. They were singing. We were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">carrying signs saying 'Mugabe must go now, please </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">release our president' (referring to the arrest of Morgan </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Tsvangirai). </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Signs also called for access to medications, access to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">lawyers for those arrested, and the repeal of the Public </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Order and Security Act.8 Then RC went to another </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">district near Bulawayo to help organize another group </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of protesters: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Before we even started, the police started beating. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">There were about 50-60 people there. A truck full of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">police came, maybe 20-25, and they started beating up </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">everyone. Anyone they could see they were just beating </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">up. I didn't get hit myself at that time. So we dispersed. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">He later learned that the same thing had happened in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">a nearby town: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The police started beating people and were using water </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">tankers. Because of the escalating violence, a decision was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">made to stop the protests. We feared all the people going to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">work, school children and old people would get beaten up. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">RC then learned that the police were looking for him: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I got a call from my wife, she was at the house, and she told </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">me plain- clothed policemen were at the house and turned </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">it upside down, taking all of my personal documents and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">documents related to the party, and my photos. And she </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was asked where I am. She told them I had gone out of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">town on business. So that night I did not return home. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The following morning I phoned my house, I was told the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">same people but more in numbers came back at 4 am, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">then they still asked where I was, and my wife was pushed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">around, and they told her that the next time that they come </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and I am not there that they will pick her up. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">RC's wife went into hiding as well: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">So that morning she went to my parents in another </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">district. And they [the police officers] came back again </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">at 8am. My wife had already left. So they picked up my </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">brother and tried to intimidate and threaten him. They put </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">him in the car, drove approximately 1 kilometer, and then </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">told him to get out. He wasn't beaten. From then, I did </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">not sleep at my house. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">8. POSA, signed into law in 2002, declares it is illegal, among </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">other things, to have a gathering of more than 2 people. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">(see http://www.hrforumzim.com/special_hrru/Special_ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Report_4_2002%20Election/SR_03.htm)</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 25 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">RC learned that the police were continuing to look for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">him and that he was reportedly on a "death list." He </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">has remained in hiding ever since. He described feeling </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">very sad and having difficulty sleeping. He blamed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">himself for the problems that he has caused his family. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Hardship and Fear for Zimbabwean </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Refugees in South Africa </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Fearing for their safety, several of the Zimbabwean </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">victims of political violence we interviewed had fled </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to South Africa after March 2007. Noted SP, who was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">tortured after the March 11th prayer rally: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">If I go back they will definitely arrest and torture </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">me. [Zimbabwean authorities] started making false </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">allegations and arresting our leaders. Fortunately, they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">didn't catch up with me... They came to my house. I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">think they were trying to remove the bridge between the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">leadership and the grass roots. They don't want us to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">campaign, so they use that trick to make us flee. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">VM an MDC member who was imprisoned and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">tortured in Bulawayo after returning from the March </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">11 prayer rally in Harare said: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I decided to leave because I was living a very hard life. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I was afraid they were going to come back to my house </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and kill me. Because they [CIO Officers] promised me if I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">continue with my party, they are going to kill me. That's </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">why I decided to come to South Africa. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">While these individuals reported feeling safer in South </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Africa, they feared deportation back to Zimbabwe. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Furthermore, the Zimbabwean refugees encountered </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">many difficulties upon arrival in South Africa. They </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">cited problems with obtaining refugee status or </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political asylum; problems with attaining adequate </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">food and shelter; and difficulty obtaining necessary </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">healthcare. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">LG, who fled after being arrested and beaten at the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">March 11th prayer rally summed up his experience in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">South Africa: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">It's difficult here. It's difficult to find somewhere to sleep. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">It's difficult to find food. We have no shelter. It's difficult </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to secure asylum papers. And while you move around </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">there is a risk the police could arrest you and deport </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">you. [But] if I were sent back to Zimbabwe I would be </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">butchered. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Noted ER: "Identification is a problem here. I always </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">feel afraid that the police might arrest me." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Estimates of the number of undocumented </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabweans living in South Africa are uncertain and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">range from several hundred thousand to two million.9 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">While most Zimbabweans in South Africa are believed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to have left Zimbabwe for economic reasons, many </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">have fled political violence and persecution. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">According to Zimbabwean advocacy organizations </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the influx of Zimbabwean refugees always increases </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">during periods of crisis. Joyce Dube, director of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Southern African Women's Institute for Migration </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Affairs (SAWIMA) a referral center for Zimbabweans </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in Johannesburg, told us: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">All the people who came here in March are torture </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">victims. We send people to Zimbabwe Torture Victims/ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Survivors Project ( ZTVP) (a counseling and medical </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">referral service for trauma victims) every day... In </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">March and April we got 15-20/day—double what we had </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">seen in previous months. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">According to one human rights advocate: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">People are being persecuted. [They] are likely to come into </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the Diaspora because of the persecution and can't go home </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">because of the fear of torture. The fear of torture is real and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the world can anticipate a new wave of victims of torture </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and political violence fleeing Zimbabwe. There is a need for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">that to be recognized by receiving countries—the high risk </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of being tortured if they are repatriated. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwean victims of political violence and refugee </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">advocates described difficulties applying for political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">asylum or even obtaining identification. Ms Dube from </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">SAWIMA explained: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The Department of Home Affairs has its own problems. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They [Zimbabweans] will stay a long time before they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">are interviewed...and during that period while they're </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">applying they have no status. First, to get access to a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">temporary permit, I know someone who was in line for 4 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">days. To get the status is 4, _, 6 years or even more. It's </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">unpredictable. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Such delays and difficulties are the result of an </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">inadequate and overwhelmed system in South Africa. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">9. Wines M. Influx from Zimbabwe to South Africa Tests </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Both. The New York Times. June 23, 2007. Page A1.</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">26 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">In 2006, for example, of the more than 53,000 new </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">applications for political asylum submitted to the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Office of Home Affairs, only approximately 5,000 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were processed. 10 Of these, approximately 800 were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">accepted for refugee status at the first stage. By far </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the greatest number of new applications were from </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe-nearly 19,000. Of these, fewer than 2,000 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were processed and only 103 were granted political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">asylum.11 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">One Zimbabwean refugee who had been in South </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Africa for several years said: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I had all of the documents of torture. But still I was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">told unless war is declared there is no way you can seek </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">asylum. After 3 years of waiting, in late 200_ I was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">rejected... I was given a few days to leave the country... I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was ultimately granted refugee status. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">According to a June 23, 2007 report in the New </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">York Times, approximately 4,000 Zimbabweans are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">deported per week.12 One human rights advocate </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">described the stress of this existence: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Even when people flee to South Africa for safety, the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">asylum process, which is the process you go through to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">become a recognized refugee in South Africa, takes a long </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">time—often years, and you are not a refugee yet—you </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">are a citizen in limbo. And when you are in limbo you are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">at risk of arrest. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwean Refugees interviewed in South Africa </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">described difficulties obtaining basic needs. RC, who </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">fled leaving behind a small shop in Zimbabwe, said: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Things have been really tough for me in South Africa. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">My life standard just changed all of a sudden. Back </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">home I had a nice house, but now I share a bed-just a bed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with 4 guys. All my energy here is looking for food and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">accommodation. You are not yourself. As much as I want </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to go back, going back would be the end of me. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">In contrast to those who flee for economic reasons, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">refugees fleeing violence tend to arrive less well </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">10. Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Protecting Refugees and Asylum Seekers in South Africa. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Pretoria, South Africa: June 19, 2007. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">11. Wines M. Influx from Zimbabwe to South Africa Tests </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Both. The New York Times. June 23, 2007. Page A1 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">12. Ibid. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">prepared and in need of more services. Ms. Dube from </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">SAWIMA noted: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">When we started we realized there are 2 kinds of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">victims: economic migrants, and political victims. The </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">economic migrants plan to come to South Africa, they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">get a job, make money, and they go back and forth. They </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">are prepared to come and have saved up money and are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">prepared to be in this country. Unlike asylum seekers— </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">it's hard for them because they come with nothing. They </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">are running away. For them to live in South Africa is </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">very tough. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Ms. Dube and others working with Zimbabwean </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">refugees agreed that South Africa does not </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">adequately support them. "There is no access to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">humanitarian assistance when they first arrive," Ms. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Dube said, "They have no food or clothing." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">NF, a local MDC organizer, fled after ZANU-PF </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">operatives visited her home two days in a row and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">she returned to find her phone lines cut. Friends </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">advised her to go to South Africa, but she had never </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">been there before. She left the next day and tearfully </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">described the journey: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I was always praying, "God please keep me." I was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">wearing tennis shoes. They were torn, I finally threw </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">them away. My feet were in pain and swollen. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">She arrived in Johannesburg with "only the dress I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was wearing" and a 1500 Rand debt for transport. She </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">has not had any communication with her husband </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">because the phone line to her house was cut before </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">she fled. She is staying with a friend but faces many </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">hardships: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I am starving. At times I don't go to the bathroom for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">weeks because my tummy doesn't have anything. The </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">place where I stay is very cold at night so I can't sleep. I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">don't have blankets. I am wearing the dress I have on. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">But she said, "I really am very afraid to go back to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe. They will kill me." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">WB also decided to leave quickly after having been </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">forced to remain in the military and subjected to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">torture for refusing to participate in pro-ZANU </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political activities. He was stationed near the border: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I told myself this is the chance for me to go and I left. I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">went by river. I don't know how to swim but I crossed. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 27 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Then I managed to get a taxi and I went. I never paid for it. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The guy now needs his money and I don't know what to say. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Dolores Cortes from ZTVP said traumatic entry is a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">common experience: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">How they enter is under fences, swimming through rivers. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Women are raped, stripped of their belongings. The trauma </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">is quite severe. They already come into South Africa </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">traumatized. The flight is traumatizing and the difficulty of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">surviving in South Africa—makes it difficult to cope. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">At the time of our visit, the Central Methodist church </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in Johannesburg was housing several hundred </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabweans per night, many of whom slept in the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">hallways and stairwells. They had to vacate the building </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">by 6:00 in the morning. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">For the few who find work, labor abuses are common. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Most received intermittent wages of 40-50 Rand per day, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">far below a living wage. Ms. Dube, Director of SAWIMA </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">explained: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">There are labor abuses. People are underpaid. Asylum seekers </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">are underpaid... or not paid at all. The restaurant owners </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">will threaten to turn them in. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Refugees in South Africa are guaranteed protection </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">under both domestic and international law including </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the South African Constitution13 and the United Nations </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Refugee Convention.14 Several Organizations, however, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">have raised concerns about South Africa's failure to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ensure adequate protection of refugees. For example, a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">November 2005 report by Human Rights Watch noted: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">These legal guarantees have not been fully put into practice </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">by those South African institutions responsible for the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">protection and promotion of these rights. Although South </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Africa now has in place a good formal legal regime for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the protection of refugees and asylum seekers, serious </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">flaws remain in its implementation...The inability of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Department of Home Affairs to process asylum applications </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">within the legally stipulated six-month period has resulted in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">prolonged insecurity for asylum seekers, in some cases for up </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to five years.1_ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">13. South African Constitution, Act. No. 108 of 1996. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">14. 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, 189 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">UNTS150; and the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Refugees, 606 UNTS 267. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">15. Human Rights Watch. Living on the Margins: Inadequate Protection </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A June 2007 report issued by the Consortium for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Refugees and Migrants in South Africa concurred: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The country's legislative framework and moral </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">commitments have not been supported by the necessary </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">human and financial resources needed to offer basic </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">protections to asylum seekers and refugees.16 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Johannesburg. November 2005. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Available at: http://hrw.org/reports/2005/southafrica1105/ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">16. Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Protecting Refugees and Asylum Seekers in South Africa. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Pretoria, South Africa: June 19, 2007.</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">28 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Victim of Assault (BA) by ZANUPF Youth. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Multiple linear markings are present on his </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">back, many of which are parallel to one another </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and approximately the same width. This is highly </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">consistent with the history of beatings reported. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">VI. PHOTOGRAPHS</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 29 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Right arm of individual (KP) shot by police at </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">funeral of Gift Tandare. KP suffered fracture and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">nerve injury as a result of gunshot wound.</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">30 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Infected leg wound resulting from injury </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">caused by beating by police while in custody. The </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">infection likely worsened as a result of unsanitary </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">prison conditions under which the individual (CJ) </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was held and delay in access to appropriate </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical care.</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 31 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Large ulceration on head resulting from beating. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">After being stopped by police at a checkpoint </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">on March 11, 2007, this individual (YD) </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was turned over to men in civilian clothing, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">who brought him to a location where he </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was beaten interrogated about his political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">activities, including being beaten on head.</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">32 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Dr. Allen Keller and Dr Samantha Stewart </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">interviewing MDC Leader Sekai Holland in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">her hospital room in Johannesburg South Africa. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Ms. Holland suffered multiple fractures and other </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">injuries as a result of severe beatings she suffered </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">by Zimbabwean police on March 11 2007.</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 33 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">VII. HEALTH CONSEQUENCES </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">OF TORTURE AND POLITICAL </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">VIOLENCE IN ZIMBABWE </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Torture and political violence can have devastating </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">health consequences-physical, psychological and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">social--for the individual victim, his or her family, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and the broader community through fear and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">intimidation.1 All 24 of the Zimbabwean victims </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of torture and political violence evaluated for this </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">report had corroborating physical and psychological </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">evidence of their abuse. All continued to suffer from </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">substantial and often debilitating symptoms caused by </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">their abuse. They complained of persistent headaches, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">backaches and difficulty walking secondary to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">beatings. Physical examinations revealed festering </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">wounds from being kicked or hit with the butt of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">a gun; scars on victims' backs and buttocks from </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">being whipped, and broken arms and legs. The </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">psychological symptoms were severe and potentially </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">more enduring. They were haunted by recurrent, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">terrifying memories of their torture. They suffered </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">from ruminating thoughts and intrusive flashbacks </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">during the day, and insomnia and frequent nightmares </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">at night. Those who were in hiding or had been forced </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to flee the country were especially likely to describe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">profound sadness and hopelessness. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">According to a recent report by Zimbabwe Association </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), 325 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">individuals sought medical treatment for injuries </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">sustained through torture and political violence during </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">March 2007, more than double the number typically </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">seen, and with the injuries sustained far more severe.2 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwean Human Rights Organizations speculated </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">1. Basoglu M, Paker M, Paker Ö, Özmen E, Sahin D. Factors </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">related to long-term traumatic stress responses in survivors </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of torture. Journal of the American Medical Association. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">1994;272:357-363. Quiroga J, Jaranson J. Politically motivated </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">torture and its survivors: A desk study review of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">literature. Torture. 2005:15;1-112. Piwowarczyk L, Moreno A, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Grodin M. Health care of Torture Survivors. JAMA. 2000;284:539- </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">541. Jaranson J, Popkin M. Caring for Victims of Torture. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Press; 1998. Keller </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A, Saul J, Eisenman D. Caring for Survivors of Torture in an </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Urban, Municipal Hospital. J Amb Care Mgmt. 1998;21:20-29. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">2. Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Zimbabwean </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Association of Doctors for Human Rights. A Brief Report of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Human Rights Violations in Zimbabwe since March 11 2007. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Submitted to the African Commission on Human and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">People's rights, May 2007. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">that there may have been many more victims who </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were not identified: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">During this fateful period it is possible that a large </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">number of other cases of gross human rights violations </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">went unreported, as the victims did not approach legal </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">practitioners or medical practitioners for advice or </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical attention. 3 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Among the victims of torture and political violence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">who did present for evaluation and treatment, ZADHR </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">reported significant morbidity including frequent soft </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">tissue injuries, fractures, gunshot wounds and head </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">injuries. More than 50% of the victims demonstrated </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">severe psychological distress.4 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The different dimensions of health--physical, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">psychological and social--are interrelated and can </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">exacerbate one another. For example many of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">individuals interviewed described musculoskeletal </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">pain as a result of beatings. Such physical symptoms </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">often triggered psychological symptoms such as </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">disturbing, recurrent memories of their trauma. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Psychological symptoms such as flashbacks often </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">invoked palpitations (i.e. the sensation of the heart </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">beating fast) or somatic symptoms (i.e. without an </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">explanatory physical basis) including stomachaches </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and headaches. Finally, many victims also felt </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">generally distrustful and socially isolated, which in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">turn escalated feelings of sadness and hopelessness </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and at times prevented them from accessing adequate </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical or psychological assistance. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Physical Health Consequences of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Torture/Political Violence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Individuals interviewed for this report described being </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">subjected to a number of different forms of physical </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">torture. The most commonly reported form of physical </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">torture or abuse was beatings. This included beatings </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with fists and kicking with boots, as well as beatings with </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">objects (shambocks, whips, gun butts). One particularly </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">common form of torture repeatedly described was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">"falanga," or beatings on the soles of the feet. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Following his arrest on March 11, LG one of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">organizers of the March 11 prayer meeting, described the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">following: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">3. Ibid. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">4. Ibid.</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">34 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They were using baton sticks. They would hit the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">buttocks, they would hit under the feet-they would </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">remove your shoes and beat you under the feet. And they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were saying as they beat us, 'You are refusing to obey </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">police orders. This is not the first time you are here. You </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">are now becoming a nuisance to the State-you want to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">remove the government.' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">In several cases the distinct imprints of the torture </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">instruments used were present at the time of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">evaluation. This included backs riddled with linear </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">markings from whips or the outlines of clubs. Scars </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with indentations on legs from being kicked or on </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the head from being hit with the butt of a gun were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">present. Physical examinations also revealed scars </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">from gunshot wounds and knife injuries in several </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">individuals evaluated. Neurological findings such as </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">decreased motor strength, decreased sensation, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">perforated ear drums were clearly identified. Many </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">individuals had x rays that showed fractures. At the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">time of the evaluation, some also wore casts from </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">fractures due to beatings or falls while being attacked. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">YD, who was arrested and repeatedly beaten with </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">foreign objects, including batons, had several linear </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">scars on his back that were likely caused by the same </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">instrument. This is indicated when groupings of scars </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">have similar shape, depth and degree of healing. YD </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">had several well-demarcated scars on his leg with </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">atrophic changes (i.e. the skin was thin and shiny in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">these areas) consistent with a history of experiencing </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">blunt trauma. Most notably he had a large open </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ulceration on the left side of his head, consistent </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with his report of being struck on the head, knocked </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">unconscious and awakening covered in blood with </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">a large wound on his head. Subsequently YD fled to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">South Africa, but at the time of our evaluation had </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">been unable to receive adequate health care for his </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">injury (see Chapter VII). </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">BA, a local MDC organizer suffered a broken arm </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in mid-February when he tried to block the blows </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of police who beat him at a rally he was helping to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">organize in his district. He was cared for at a private </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical clinic where his arm was placed in a cast. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">In late March, BA was abducted from his home by </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ZANU-PF youth. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They started assaulting me one by one. They were using </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">shambocks, iron bars and sticks and at times they were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">using fists saying, 'You've got to tell us your MDC </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">structures. We want to know who petrol bombed police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">stations. If we can beat Tsvangirai why can't we beat </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">you? You must go with us and show us where others </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">live.' They were using stones to try to crack and remove </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">my cast. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">BA lost consciousness after being hit on the head and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was subsequently left naked on the side of the road </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">outside of Harare. "I was covered, soaked with blood. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I had great pain all over." BA heard his captors as they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">left him saying "Just put him by that tree. I think he's </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">dead." BA subsequently was cared for at a private </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">clinic where he was admitted for 2 weeks. His broken </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">cast was replaced. He also received treatment for an </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">infected wound and hemorrhage in one eye. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">At the time of evaluation, BA's right arm remained </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in a cast. He had more than 20 linear scars across his </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">back and on his arms, many parallel to one another </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and all approximately the same width-likely resulting </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">from repeatedly being struck with the same object. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">He had raised, healing, circular scars on his chest, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">shoulder and shin. He had superficial hypopigmented </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">(ie. lighter than the surrounding skin) scars on his </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">left forearm and shoulder. All of these findings were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">highly consistent with the events he described. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Other physical forms of torture/abuse reported </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">included being shot; stabbed with knives and sharp </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">objects; forced contact with urine, feces, and sewage; </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">electrical shocks; and withholding of food and water. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">JT was deprived of food for two days: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I was dehydrated by that time. My mouth was dry, I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">asked for water. They blindfolded me. They told me to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">open my mouth and I could smell and taste a bitter liquid </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">that they poured in my mouth, and it was warm, I think </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">it was urine. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">All 24 individuals, continued to suffer from significant </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">physical symptoms including chronic back and muscle </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">pain, weakness, difficulty walking, neurological </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">symptoms such as dizziness, unsteady gait, weakness </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in arms and legs from nerve damage caused by </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">beatings, stabbings or gunshot wounds, and chronic </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">headaches, dizziness and difficulty hearing as a result </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of beatings on the head. Such symptoms may resolve </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">after a few weeks, but are often chronic, or may even </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">result in permanent disability. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">LG, continued to have weakness in his left hand </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">caused by a beating by police 6 months earlier. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The beatings during his more recent imprisonment </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">continued to cause persistent pain in his feet. After </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 35 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">his release from prison, JT continued to experience </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">headaches and dizziness, which likely resulted from </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">being beaten on his head. His feet continued to hurt </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">after walking long distances. Many of those who </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">sustained injuries have experienced persistent pain </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">that was aggravated by delayed or inadequate access </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to healthcare. The impact of physical injuries and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">difficulties accessing health care continued to be a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">problem for the Zimbabwean victims we interviewed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">who had fled to South Africa as well (see Chapter VII). </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Psychological Effects of Torture and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Political Violence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Torture and political violence can have severe and long </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">lasting psychological consequences.5 Zimbabwean </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">victims interviewed were subjected to a variety of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">psychological forms of torture, including verbal </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">abuse, threats to themselves and their loved ones, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">humiliations such as being forced to undress or drink </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">urine. It is clear that physical forms of torture can have </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">psychological consequences as well. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">All 24 of the individuals interviewed continued to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">suffer from significant psychological symptoms </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">resulting from their abuse. Many met diagnostic </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">criteria for depression, anxiety and post traumatic </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">stress disorder (PTSD). </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Exposure to both direct and witnessed violence raises </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">levels of psychological distress.6 The psychological </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">response to trauma and torture most commonly </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">manifests as symptoms of depression, anxiety, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">PTSD. The most commonly reported psychological </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">symptoms included recurrent, intrusive thoughts, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">memories or nightmares; constant feelings of being on </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">5. Jaranson J, Popkin M. Caring for Victims of Torture. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Press; 1998. Keller A, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Gold J. "Survivors of Torture." In: Sadock B, ed. Comprehensive </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Textbook of Psychiatry. B Sadock, V Sadock, eds. New York: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 2005:21. Keller A, Lhewa, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">D, Rosenfeld B, Sachs E, Aladjem A, Cohen I, Smith H, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Porterfield K. Traumatic Experiences and Psychological </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Distress Among an Urban Refugee Population. J Nervous and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Mental Disease. 2006;194:188-194. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">6. Eriksson CB, Kemp HV, Gorsuch R, Hoke S, Foy DW. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms in International </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Relief and Development Personnel. Journal of Traumatic </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Stress. 2001;14:205-212. Cooley-Quille M, Boyd RC, Frantz </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">E, Walsh J. Emotional and behavioral impact of exposure </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to community violence in inner-city adolescents. Journal of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Clinical Child Psychology. 2001;30:199-206. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">guard; difficulty sleeping; and "re-experiencing" i.e. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">feeling as though the event is happening again (see </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Table 4). Many individuals suffered from PTSD, based </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">on clinical interviews and psychological testing. More </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">than 3⁄4 (76.4%) of those who completed the PTSD </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">portion of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ), </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">which measures symptoms of PTSD, scored above the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">cutoff for clinically significant PTSD. On the Hopkins </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Symptoms Checklist (HSCL) which measures symptoms </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of depression and anxiety, nearly 90% of individuals </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">who completed the questionnaire had clinically </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">significant symptoms of depression and 83% had </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">clinically significant symptoms of anxiety (see Table 5). </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">CJ experienced symptoms from several of these </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">categories: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I still have the memories of what happened. Especially </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">when I see police I am afraid. I have nightmares nearly </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">every night about what happened in the police station. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I am crying. Whenever I hear footsteps outside, I feel </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">scared and I jump. When I was in the cells, I felt the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">death spirit. That thought still comes back to me. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">In clinical interviews, many victims manifested signs </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of depression such as slow speech, downward gaze, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">slumped posture, tearfulness, and describing feelings of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">profound sadness. They also exhibited signs of anxiety </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">such as trembling, hand-wringing, and fidgeting. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Physiologic hyperarousal during the retelling of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">events--characteristic of PTSD--was marked by leaning </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">forward in the chair, widened stare and scanning the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">environment, increased rate of breathing, disorganized </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and increased rate of speech, and increased tendency to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">startle and describe memory with exquisite detail. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Many of the individuals exhibited evidence of Common </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Mental Disorders (CMD's). CMD is the internationally </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">accepted term for symptoms of depression and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">anxiety that clearly interfere with coping, productivity, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and recovery. CMD's may also manifest as physical </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">symptoms without physiologic basis such as body </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">aches, headaches, dizziness, insomnia and poor </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">appetite. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">At least four of the individuals interviewed were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">receiving medical treatment for insomnia, anxiety, or </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">depression. One reported significant problems with </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">alcohol since his first episode of torture. Three of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">individuals who had fled to South Africa were receiving </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">professional counseling. Several others who would have </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">benefited from psychological or psychiatric treatment </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">did not have access to such services.</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">36 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Many of the interviews took place approximately one </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">month after the traumatic event. This is an important </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">cutoff mark for diagnosing acute stress disorder versus </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">a longer lasting post traumatic stress disorder. Acute </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">stress disorder describes dysfunctional reactions that </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">occur within one month of a traumatic event. Post </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">traumatic stress disorder describes an impaired state </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">that persists for longer than one month after exposure </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to trauma. An acute stress reaction predicts an increased </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">likelihood of a more prolonged post-traumatic stress </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">reaction.7 In some cases depressed or post-traumatic </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">symptoms do not emerge until well after the event. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Both are more likely to emerge with repeated exposure </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to stress or trauma.8 The psychological signs and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">symptoms observed during our interviews represent an </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">early phase of the response to trauma that may improve </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in some cases and worsen in others.9 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Depression </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Depression is a common psychological reaction to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">traumatic events such as torture, displacement, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">chronic stress.10 Depression is defined as a low mood </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">that persists for longer than two weeks. Common </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">symptoms of depression include changed sleep, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">appetite, and energy levels; slowed thinking and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">movements; difficulty with motivation, interest or </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">enjoyment of regular activities; and guilty, hopeless, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">or even suicidal thoughts. Symptoms may vary in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">severity and number, but all interfere with day-to-day </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">functioning and recovery from trauma. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The Zimbabwean victims of torture whom we </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">interviewed manifested many symptoms of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">depression. Many had poor eye contact, slumped </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">shoulders, downward gaze, and slowed or quiet </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">speech that are consistent with the loss of energy, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">lowered self-esteem, and psychomotor retardation </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">seen in depressed patients. A few had lost interest </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in personal grooming and appeared disheveled and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">unkempt. For example, FL, a previously healthy young </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">7. Classen,C. et al (1998) Acute Stress Disorder as a predictor </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of posttraumatic stress symptoms. American Journal of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Psychiatry, 155, 620-624. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">8. Ibid </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">9. Shalev et al. 1998 Prospective study of posttraumatic stress </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">disorder and depression following trauma. Am J Psychiatry </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">155:630-637. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">10. Kendler et al. 1999 Causal relationship between stressful </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">life events and the onset of major depressioin. Am J </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Psychiatry 156:837-841. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">man, rarely looked up during the interview that took </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">place approximately three weeks after he was beaten </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">by police while closing up at his workplace. He moved </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">his limbs slowly and heavily and appeared not to have </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">washed his clothing or body. The bandage around his </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">left hand was dirty and partially unraveled. He peeled </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">dirty, foul-smelling socks off his feet to reveal injuries </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">near his ankle. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Nearly all of the victims described poor sleep. This </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ranged from difficulty falling asleep due to fearfulness </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">or ruminative, anxious thoughts; to waking frequently </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with nightmares; to spontaneous early morning </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">awakening that are highly characteristic of depression. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Many described decreased appetite and weight loss. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">For example, CJ had lost 10-15 kilograms. Many </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">described their clothes as ill-fitting due to significant </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">weight loss. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The victims interviewed also showed evidence of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the cognitive effects of depression. For example, FL </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">described difficulty making decisions, asking the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">interviewer "What should I do?" Several victims </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">described being plagued with guilt and worry about </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the impact on their families. YD told his story in a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">disorganized manner demonstrating his difficulties </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with concentration. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The most predominant evidence of depression was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the sad mood described by almost all of the victims </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">interviewed. NF wept during her interview. LR </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">had a pinched frown throughout the interview. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">FL had sad-appearing eyes and held back tears. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">BA's expression was flat and deadened even when </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">describing emotional experiences. NT put it simply, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">"I feel sad every day." In the cases of CJ and ER, the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">depressed mood included thoughts of death described </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">as the "death spirit" and dreams of dying. None of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the victims interviewed described thoughts of suicide, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">but many described feeling hopeless and having </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">given up, with statements like BA's: "I've got nothing. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Everything was taken." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">PTSD is characterized by hyperarousal (e.g., </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">irritability, poor sleep, and hyper vigilance), numbing </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and avoidance, and re-experiencing of a traumatic </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">event. The following testimonies illustrate the presence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of these symptoms in those interviewed for this report: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">1) Symptoms of hyperarousal such as irritability, poor </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">sleep, and hypervigilance </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 37 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">PG: Sometimes I feel frightened- especially during the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">night. If a car is just moving in the nearby road, I start to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">think that maybe this is some of those guys. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">SP: I have bad dreams especially these days. It is terrible- </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">- I dream about all the people being beaten. I feel very </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">nervous. I am afraid even of my shadow walking in the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">street. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">2) Symptoms of numbing and avoidance </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">NE: I try not to think about what happened because if </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">you do you'll go crazy, but one can't help think about it. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">BA: It's like I'm in prison because I don't go out, I don't </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">meet other people. I only stay indoors. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">And 3) Symptoms of re-experiencing </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">NT: You begin to tell yourself that this place is safe, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">all of a sudden that feeling starts coming over to you and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the brain starts going back to those memories of when I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was hit, when I was interrogated. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">MS: Sometimes I wake up in cold sweats, nightmares, as </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">if I am fighting people. I have nightmares they are coming </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to take me away. If I am asleep, I hear cars passing, or </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">even if someone is walking here, I get frightened and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">wake up. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Demoralization </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Many victims expressed a profound sense of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">demoralization. Mental health professionals see </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">demoralization as an existential reaction to stress, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and one of the best predictors of suicide and loss of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">productivity. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">KP: Because of the situation in Zimbabwe I am sad. I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">don't feel free or happy. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">DR: I feel very beat up because I was beaten up for no </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">apparent reason. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">BA: I've got nothing. Everything was taken and they're </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">still looking for me there. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The activists we met had been working to promote </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">human rights in Zimbabwe for many years, but </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they considered this level of demoralization to be a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">new phenomenon. In the past, torture was often an </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">incentive for increased political activity, but lately </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">victims have simply felt overwhelmed and afraid. One </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">local activist observed: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">You would go to people after they were beaten previously, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">like 2 years ago in the pre-election violence, and you </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">would say, 'How are you actually feeling?' and they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">would say, 'My body is broken but my spirit is strong.' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">And now they say, 'These people are so cruel and brutal.' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I can see the distress in their eyes and faces. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Victims said they felt incapacitated, were unable to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">leave their homes, and wished to leave the country. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Fear </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Fear was the most common reaction to the widespread </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence and torture, and it affected not only torture </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">victims, but the rest of the community as well. Noted </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">prominent MDC leader Sekai Holland, "People in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe are ruled by fear. It is a strategy to say fear </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in Zimbabwe has blocked a lot of positive things." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Fear was cited as interfering with ongoing political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">activism. For example, NT stated: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I was very frightened, and got even more frightened when </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I saw the people beaten after March 11. Because after that </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they said we are coming for his [Morgan Tsvangirai] </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">people. They are targeting our age group [the youth], </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">because they thought we are the ones who start the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">rallies. I was really willing and ready to go to the rally </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">[in the town where he lived] but I was afraid. I knew </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">people who went to a rally in my town and they were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">beaten by the police. I have a friend who was beaten the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">week before the March 11 rallies, and that really made me </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">want to stay at home. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Others cited fear as a barrier to obtaining appropriate </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical care. For example, VM stated, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">After I was released, I needed medical treatment, because </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I was sore and couldn't hear. But I was afraid to go for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical treatment--otherwise, they would follow me. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">NT predicted that fear will prevent the upcoming </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">elections from being free and democratic. "Everyone </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">lives in fear in Zimbabwe, everyone is confused. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I don't think it's possible that they will have fair </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">elections. People are too afraid." He maintained that </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">fear was driving many out of the country: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Psychologically, I was affected. I couldn't concentrate </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">on much. I feared for my life and my family's safety. So </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">38 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I really thought it would be a wise choice to leave the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">profession and leave the country. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Impact of Fear on the Community </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Fear affected our work on this report. We have </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">been very careful to disguise the identities of our </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">informants because they told us that it was nearly </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">impossible to determine who could be trusted. Any </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">evidence of sympathy with the political opposition </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">could be communicated back to the government </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and police and lead to further harassment. Several </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">informants were even unwilling to discuss their </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">injuries and physical location with their own </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">families. Several of the individuals we interviewed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">remained in hiding. "It's like a prison," BA said. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">He believed that going to his family would be too </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">risky for them and for himself. "I can't tell my own </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">mother [about my assault and location] because </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">you don't know who can be trusted." FL and LR </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">expressed similar fears. Activists don't even speak </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">openly among themselves. NT related that when a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">close friend said he "fell from a train," NT "didn't </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">buy that story," He knew the friend had been </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">beaten. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The fear of communication exacerbated feelings of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">isolation and depression and limited the sharing of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">information that could provide reality-testing and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">decrease the feelings of "going crazy" common in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">PTSD. Worst of all, fear of communication interferes </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with the natural healing processes that takes place </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">through talking, sharing stories, and speaking </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">out. FL had been particularly affected by police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">threats and had not told his story in full until our </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">interview. Afterwards, he appeared more relaxed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and said: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">It helps to offload stress but if you tell other people, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">you can't know who they are. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">In addition to the impact of torture and political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence on individuals and their relationship and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">communication with others, such abuse results in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">profound fear and mistrust which pervades the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">broader community. Torture in this manner is used </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">as a tool by government authorities to intimidate </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and silence current and future opposition. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Noted one human rights advocate: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The thing I always think of is people in Zimbabwe are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">living such a permanent state of fear and oppression that </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">normal democratic processes cannot take place. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Psychological Distress Among </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwean Refugees in South </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Africa </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwean victims of political violence who had </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">fled to South Africa typically lived without the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">support of family and a pre-existing social network. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Many refugees, such as NT who fled after recurrent </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">harassment at his job as a teacher, felt lonely and adrift: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I feel sad every day. Because my family is back at home </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and they are worrying about me. I miss my friends </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and family. I also am sad for my students. I was a good </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">teacher, my students really loved me. I am sad because </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">when I called home, they told me that my students don't </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">have a teacher anymore. They just sit outside. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">NT described other persistent psychological </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">symptoms: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Sometimes I have bad dreams. I always feel like I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">have to look over my shoulder all the time. I think it's </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">psychological and mental. It really affects you when </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">something like that happens. You begin to tell yourself </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">that this place is safe, and all of a sudden that feeling </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">starts coming over to you and the brain starts going </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">back to those memories of when I was hit, when I was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">interrogated. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Many refugees reported that police continued to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">come to their homes and harass their families in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe. "I'm very worried for my family. They can </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">do anything to them. Last time they beat my wife, she </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">had a miscarriage," said SP. Others worried about their </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">family's economic situation. "I am the provider for my </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">family," said KF. "The trouble that my family is facing </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">is very upsetting to me." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">NT shared the sentiments of many of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabweans interviewed when he said "If Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">is peaceful and safe, I want to go back because it is my </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">home and that is where I grew up, and my family, my </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">life is there." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 39 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">VIII. POOR CONDITIONS OF </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">DETENTION AND DELAYS IN </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">AND LEGAL ASSISTANCE </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Informants who had been held in police custody </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">described unsanitary, inhuman conditions with </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">no attention paid to the severity of their injuries. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Many were denied food or water and experienced </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">substantial delays in obtaining access to legal services </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and medical treatment. A frequently reported tactic </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to reduce inmates' access to both medical and legal </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">services was to constantly move them from one police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">station to another. Such conditions and mistreatment </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">are in clear violation of Zimbabwe's own Constitution </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">as well as the International Covenant on Civil and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Political Rights and the African Charter on Human </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and People's Rights, both of which Zimbabwe is </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">a signatory to, and the United Nations Standard </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.1 As </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">stated in Article 10 of the International Covenant on </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Civil and Political Rights: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">human person. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Inhuman Jail Conditions </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Victims of torture and political violence who had been </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">jailed described deplorable prison conditions. Basic </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">needs such as food, water, light, toilets, blankets, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">access to exercise were often not provided. CJ, a young </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">1. Constitution of Zimbabwe, Articles 13 (3), 15 (1). </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Available at: http://www.kubatana.net/docs/legisl/ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">constitution_zim_070201.doc; International Covenant on </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Civil and Political Rights. adopted December 16, 1966, G.A. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">res. 2200A (XX1), 21 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 16) at 52, U.N. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Doc. A.6316 (1966), 999 U.N.T.S. 171, entered into force </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">March 23, 1976, acceded to by Zimbabwe, May 13, 1991, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Articles 7 and 10; African Charter on Human and People's </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Rights, adopted June 27, 1981, OAU doc. CAB/LEG/67/ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">3rev.5.21.l.LM.58 (1982), entered into force October 21, 1986, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ratified by Zimbabwe in 1986, Article 5; Office of the High </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Commissioner for Human Rights. Standard Minimum Rules </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">for the Treatment of Prisoners. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Adopted by the First United Nations Congress on the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, held </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">at Geneva in 1955, and approved by the Economic and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Social Council by its resolution 663 C (XXIV) of 31 July 1957 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and 2076 (LXII) of 13 May 1977. Available at: http://www. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/h_comp34.htm. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">woman who had been tortured after being arrested on </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">March 11, spent three days in police custody and was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">denied all food. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They said 'No, you are not given food.' There was no bed, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I slept on the floor. I was in great pain I had pain all over </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">my body. There were no blankets. I wished I would just die </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">because I was in such pain. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">DR, a woman in her 60's who was arrested and tortured </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in mid-March was not given any food for the first 2 days </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of her imprisonment. During that time, she was held in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">a dark windowless cell. "No one slept. We were sitting </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">on the floor. There was nowhere to sleep." NE, who was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">arrested on March 11, described the cell in which he was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">held for 3 days as "dirty, smelly and full of lice." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The cell was uninhabitable. The toilet was overflowing. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Urine was everywhere. Since we had no shoes we were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">walking in urine and god knows what, and the lice would fall </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">off onto you. The lice that would fall on the ground would </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">crawl up on you and it was hell. There were two beds, but no </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">one dared go there because that was the domain of the lice so </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">we literally spent the night standing by the door where there </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was a little trickle of light-otherwise it was dark and smelly. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">SP's cell was overcrowded and filthy: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">There were more than 2_ people in the cell I was in. They </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">don't clean those things. The toilet didn't work. It smelled </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">very bad. It was terrible. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">After being beaten, JT was taken to a police station and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">placed in solitary confinement: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I spent 2 nights in that cell alone. No communication, no </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">food, no water. I asked for water and they told me to drink </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">my urine. There was no toilet in the room, I was in terrible </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">pain, I would urinate on the walls. The cells were filthy. No </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">bed, no toilet, only one dirty blanket. It was lice infested. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">When I got out I was itching all over and coughing. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Even if torture has not occurred, such conditions </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">constitute cruel and degrading treatment, violating </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">domestic and international law and international </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">standards. As stated in Articles 10 and 12 of the United </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Prisoners: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">All accommodation provided for the use of prisoners and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in particular all sleeping accommodation shall meet all </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">requirements of health, due regard being paid to climatic </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">conditions and particularly to cubic content of air, minimum </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">40 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">floor space, lighting, heating and ventilation... The </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">sanitary installations shall be adequate to enable every </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">prisoner to comply with the needs of nature when </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">necessary and in a clean and decent manner. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">"Our prison cells were found to be unfit for human </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">habitation," said one Zimbabwean human rights </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">activist: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">To be beaten up and tortured is one thing. To be </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">beaten up and thrown into uninhabitable prison </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">cells is another violation. That is degrading and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">dehumanizing treatment. Whatever the reason for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">being in prisons you have the right to human dignity. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Such unsanitary conditions can cause </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">malnourishment from inadequate food, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">gastrointestinal/parasitic infections, bacterial skin </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">infections and infestation with lice. Zimbabwe's </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">crowded filthy prison cells are breeding grounds for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">tuberculosis.2 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">One human rights advocate likened extended </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">imprisonment in Zimbabwe to a "death sentence:" </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A huge percentage of individuals in prison are likely </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">HIV positive. Many likely get tuberculosis. Prisoners </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">sleep on cement floors crawling with lice. They keep </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">it as dirty as possible. The TB is really serious. If they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">are on anti-retrovirals (for HIV infection) they are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">not getting them. So it's killing people from several </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">directions. It's shocking. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe's health care system already faces </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">profound challenges3 including shortages of drugs, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">supplies and health workers. But as Dr. Gwatidzo, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Chairman of Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">2. Agence France-Presse. Overcrowding, poor conditions </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">claim 127 lives in Zimbabwe jail: study. Available at: http:// </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">www.aegis.com/news/afp/2005/AF050234.html. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">3. Thornycroft, P. Zimbabwe public health care costs soar. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Available at: www.voanews.com/english/2006-04-26-voa40. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">cfm; Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">(ZADHR). Taking stock of health rights in Zimbabwe on </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">World Health Day. Available at: http://www.kubatana. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">net/html/archive/health/060407zadhr.asp?orgcode=zim </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">065&amp;year=2006&amp;range_start=1. Zimbabwe Association of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR). Prevailing health sector </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">emergency. Available at: http://www.kubatana.net/html/ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">archive/hr/070601zadhr.asp?orgcode=zim065&amp;year=0&amp;ran </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ge_start=1. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Human Rights (ZADHR) explained the situation in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">prisons is even worse: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The number of doctors in prisons is inadequate. The </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical officers in the prisons will never be able to take </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">care of all the prisoners. When there is a sudden influx </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of injured prisoners, they don't respond on short notice. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They don't have the capacity. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">"I think it has always been dangerous to be in custody </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in conditions that are filthy, degrading, and inhuman," </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">noted Otto Saki, an attorney with Zimbabwe Lawyers </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">for Human Rights (ZLHR). "But now, while you are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in those conditions that are already degrading, you </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">are now being subjected to torture and beatings. It is </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">something that is on the increase." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Delays in Access to Legal Services </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">While in Police Custody </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Several victims and human rights attorneys </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">described intentional delays in accessing legal </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">services. For example, JT, who was arrested and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">severely beaten by police after attending the funeral </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of Gift Tandare, was not able to see a lawyer until </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the 4th day he was in police custody: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Early in the morning, they woke me up and told me </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">there was someone to meet me, only to see it was [a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">lawyer]. He told me, he started looking for me on the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">13th at Harare Central Police Station and I wasn't </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">there. He told me he had been looking for me for some </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">days. He told me some of the people who were arrested </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were put in different police stations outside of Harare. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">He came to a police station looking for me. I was there </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">at the time, but they denied that I was there--the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">police station where I was. He came looking for me, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">but the police officer denied my presence. He found me </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">by an anonymous tip. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Several inmates overheard police officers denying </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to lawyers and family members that they were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">present. When lawyers came looking for DR and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the group of women she was arrested with, "The </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">police said we were not there. We could hear the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">conversation." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">"Lawyers and doctors were trying to see us and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were refused to see the prisoners," said MDC </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">feminist leader Sekai Holland, who was imprisoned </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and tortured on March 11. "The military intelligence </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">told us, 'The lawyers and doctors were trying to get </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to you.'" </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 41 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ZLHR attorney Mr. Saki distinguished between those </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in remand prison (jail) and police custody. "The ones </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">that are in remand prison, we have access. But when </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they are in police custody we are denied access." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Lawyers trying to obtain court orders to see their </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">clients reported that even when such court orders </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were obtained, they were not enforced. Lawyers also </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">described an increase in the length of time it took to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">obtain access to their clients from the standard 24-48 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">hours following arrest to a prolonged 4 to 5 days. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">"Often during the first 4 to 5 days of being arrested, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">we have no access at all while they are in police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">custody," noted Mr. Saki. "It has become a strategy to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">move individuals from one police station to another to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">hamper our access. They have been using no less than </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">10 police stations." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Several of the victims described being moved from </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">one prison to another 2 or 3 times, making it harder for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">their attorneys to trace them. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Domestic and International Law require access to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">legal representation.4 Article 13 of the Zimbabwean </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Constitution states: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Any person who is arrested or detained shall be informed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">as soon as reasonably practicable, in a language that he </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">understands, of the reasons for his arrest or detention </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and shall be permitted at his own expense to obtain and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">instruct without delay a legal representative of his own </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">choice and hold communication with him. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Delays in Access to Medical Care </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">While in Police Custody </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">There was a clear pattern of delaying or denying </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">access to health care for Zimbabwean victims while in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">police custody in violation of international standards.5 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">4. Constitution of Zimbabwe, Articles 13 (3). Available at: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">http://www.kubatana.net/docs/legisl/constitution_zim_ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">070201.doc; International Covenant on Civil and Political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Rights. adopted December 16, 1966, G.A. res. 2200A (XX1), </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">21 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 16) at 52, U.N. Doc. A.6316 (1966), </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">999 U.N.T.S. 171, entered into force March 23, 1976, acceded </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to by Zimbabwe, May 13, 1991, Article 14; African Charter </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">on Human and People's Rights, adopted June 27, 1981, OAU </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">doc. CAB/LEG/67/3rev.5.21.l.LM.58 (1982), entered into force </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">October 21, 1986, ratified by Zimbabwe in 1986, Article 7. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">5. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">This was true for both prominent individuals </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">such as senior Zimbabwean MDC leader Sekai </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Holland, as well as lesser known victims. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Dr. Reginald Matchaba-Hove of the University of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe College of Health Sciences explained: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The denial of access is both medical and legal. The </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">people arrested and tortured March 11 were picked </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">up Sunday. By Monday, I, along with others, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">rushed down there with the orders. We rushed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to the police cells and they would deny having </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the people there. We went to at least four police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">stations and we were denied access. Denial of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical access has been systematic. Not just with </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Morgan [Tsvangirai] but with the others—and the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">world is not aware of this. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Human rights attorney, Otto Saki, noted: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">In most of the individuals, they have been abducted </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in the middle of the night, denied access to lawyers, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">subjected to mistreatment, not given access to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical doctors, except for government hospitals, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and we all know the state of conditions in these </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">hospitals and the reluctance of doctors to attend to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">these cases. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">According to Dr. Gwatidzo of ZADHR delays in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical care increased medical complications in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">many cases, including that of Sekai Holland. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">She never got any treatment from March 11th to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the 13th. Sekai Holland had the worst injuries </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and the state she was in was a result of prolonged </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">imprisonment and denial of access to medical </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">treatment. And she got complications as a result. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Her left leg she had fractured, and besides the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">bruising it had become infected. It was really bad. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Ms. Holland confirmed, "My injury was on </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Sunday and I had not received care until 3 days </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">later." She drank what little water she was given, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">rather than clean herself, despite her bleeding, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">inability to walk, and diarrhea. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">RP, who was in jail with MDC President, Morgan </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Adopted by the First United Nations Congress on the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, held </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">at Geneva in 1955, and approved by the Economic and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Social Council by its resolution 663 C (XXIV) of 31 July 1957 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and 2076 (LXII) of 13 May 1977. Available at: http://www. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/h_comp34.htm.</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">42 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Tsvangirai remembered how he protested that other </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">prisoners needing medical care be brought to a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">hospital: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I was having difficulty breathing... Mr. Tsvangirai </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">asked the officer in charge to take me to the hospital </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and she refused. She said she had orders from </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the highest order that she should only take Mr. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Tsvangirai and Mr. Maduko to the hospital and no </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">one else... The first two days they wouldn't let us out </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of the cell. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Even after it was mandated by the court that all of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the prisoners be provided with healthcare, there </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were delays, explained RP: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The third day ...we were taken to court. When we </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">got there, there was no magistrate in the court. But </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">there was an order from the high court that we should </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">be immediately taken to the hospital. At first they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">refused, but then around 7 pm we were taken to a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">clinic. I was there for five days. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">LG, who had open wounds all over his body, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">particularly on his feet from police beatings endured </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">on March 11 2007, did not receive any medical care </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">during the 3 days he was in detention. Following his </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">release, he was cared for in a private clinic where his </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">wounds were cleaned, disinfected, and he was given </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">pain medication. "I was particularly sore on the soles </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of my feet which were swollen," he noted. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">This was not the first time LG had been denied </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical care or legal assistance while in police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">custody. In September, 2006, he was arrested, severely </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">beaten and tortured following his participation in the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) march. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">We were at that police station for about 3 days. We were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">denied access to lawyers...I needed medical attention </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">because my hand was badly injured [after being beaten </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">by police with baton sticks]. I asked 'can I see a doctor?' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and they said 'there is no room for that. You are in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">prison. You don't have your freedom anymore. You are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">under our custody.' We could see that the lawyers were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">trying to come and wanting to see us and they were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">turned away. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">DR did not receive any medical care, during her 3 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">days of imprisonment for swollen painful feet and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">lacerations on her back and buttocks, resulting from </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">her beatings while being interrogated by the police. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Untreated wounds easily become infected, particularly </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in unsanitary conditions. CJ, who had painful open </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ulcers on her legs from being beaten after her arrest </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in March 2007, did not receive any medical care until </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">3 days after her arrest, when she was brought to a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical facility under police guard. By then, her </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">wounds were infected. Her wounds were cleaned and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">she received antibiotics and pain medication, but one </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of the ulcers on her leg ultimately required a skin graft </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">likely due to the delay in treatment. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Several Zimbabwean doctors speculated that delays </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in treatment may have been intended to allow time </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">for evidence of torture/trauma to heal and disappear. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">But this was believed to be more common in the past. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Given the marked increase in violence, this strategy </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was less feasible now. "If they beat them, they can't </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">hold them until they are healed because they don't </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">have the manpower," said one doctor. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Noted Dr. Gwatidzo: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I believe there are a lot of aims to what they do. They keep </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">them in a cell and deny them access. It's a severe mental </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">torture when you don't think you will get adequate </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">treatment. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">"The police should produce people requiring </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">treatment for medical conditions," said a human rights </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">advocate: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The state has a legal requirement to do so. The problem is </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the will of the state. The police prevent individuals from </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">getting to medical care-even with supervised evaluations. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Mr. Saki noted that recently in a number of cases </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">involving individuals facing terrorist charges, court </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">orders for detainees to receive medical care were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ignored. "When we have been successful in obtaining </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">an order, we have had difficulty in seeing it enforced </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and allowing access to doctors." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">According to ZLHR and ZADHR, 9 MDC members </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">arrested on March 24 on terrorist charges were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">released and a court order instructed that they have </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">access to medical attention at a facility and by doctors </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of their choice. But according to a health professional </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">who was present in the court room: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">One of the clients collapsed outside the court. He couldn't </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">stand, he couldn't sit, he had been beaten so badly. He </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was just lying outside the court, but police wouldn't let </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">any doctor attend to him. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 43 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">When the court order was confirmed, ambulances </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were called to take them to a private hospital. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">At that point the 9 individuals for about 4 days had not </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">received any medical care. They were being beaten during </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">those 4 days. When the ambulances arrived, about half </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">had to be carried, the others who could walk were having </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">difficulty walking. They were still limping along because </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they had been beaten on their feet. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A doctor at the private hospital told us: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">When I left the hospital, they [the victims brought to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">hospital by court order] were in safe hands. The prison </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">officers were in the company of the consulting doctor. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Now we don't know what happened to those individuals, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">because we have never seen them again. We honestly </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">don't know. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A nurse who was present that night witnessed the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">arrival of police and a prison doctor in the middle </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of the night. They moved the men into a police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">truck without any communication with the treating </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">physician or formal transfer documentation. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">When I got there two [of the victims] were waiting outside </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the x-rays... The high courts had instructed the state </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to let the prisoners have access to medical attention at </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">a facility of their choice and then doctors of their own </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">choice... The doctors... had seen the majority. Most had </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">soft tissue injuries... The others were in the observation </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">unit... another staff said, 'Do you know what is </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">happening?' By this time, the fire escape had opened, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">as I got there, he [a doctor from the prison] was already </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">closing the prison truck. It was a police who said, 'We </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">have our own hospital.' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The doctor from the prison said, 'What is your problem, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">sister?' I thought they had only taken one, but in the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">meantime they had come in with a lot of prison guards </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and they forced the patients to get into prison uniforms. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">One was wearing a uniform so tight and I said, 'It's too </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">tight' and the guard said, 'No worry, we will change </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">it.'... He [the prisoner/patient] had an IV and he was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">wheeled out into the prison truck... </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">He [the prison doctor] did not get any information, as </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">far as I can see, about the patients. It was not a smooth </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">takeover. They were taken out the fire escape. Patients </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were taken out. I was horrified... </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">One physician noted dispiritedly, "Generally health </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">professionals don't usually abduct patients." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Delays in Medical Care Outside of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Prison </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Individuals reported delays in receiving medical </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">care for reasons aside from imprisonment including </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">bureaucratic impediments, fear of receiving services </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">at public hospitals, and inadequately staffed/supplied </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">hospitals. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Bureaucratic Impediments </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Several individuals described a requirement at </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwean government hospitals that injured </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">individuals bring a police report in order to get </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">treatment. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">YD, who suffered a severe head wound after being </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">beaten by members of the Youth Militia had difficulty </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">accessing care because he did not have a police report. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">YD was found unconscious on the side of the road and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">brought to a nearby government clinic, where his head </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">wound was cleaned. Staff at the clinic then told him to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">go to a police station and file a report. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">After I was bandaged, I was taken to a police station, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">asked who I was attacked by. I tried to explain to them </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">what happened, and they told me I was lying, that I was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">beaten by robbers. I told them that I had passed through </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">another police station. They said 'No that's not true.' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">They started questioning the people who brought me to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the police station and they got nervous, and they called </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">my relative. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">YD's relative then went to a hospital, but was unable </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to get assistance. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I couldn't get help because they didn't get a police report. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">In Zimbabwe, to get treated, you have to have a police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">report. The police had not given me one-they had sent me </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">away. So they wouldn't help me at the hospital. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Three other victims said they tried to present their </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">stories to the police in order to obtain further services, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">but the police did not respond or refused to believe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">their stories. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Delays in Accessing Medical Care Because of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Fear </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Several individuals said they were afraid that if they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">sought treatment, particularly in public hospitals, they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">risked further abuse. When FL was beaten outside of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">his workplace along with several co-workers, he didn't </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">44 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">go to the hospital right away because "the police told </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">us if we told anyone the story, they would track us </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">down." Added FL, "It was difficult for us to go to the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">public hospitals because there were CIO there looking </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">for those who were injured." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">VM, believed he needed medical care after being </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">beaten and remaining for three days in police </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">custody: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">After I was released I needed medical treatment because </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I was sore. But I was afraid to go for medical treatment. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Otherwise they would follow me. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Dr. Matchaba-Hove confirmed that public hospitals </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">do not always provide adequate or safe care: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The quality of care at the public hospitals leaves a lot </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to be desired and from a security standpoint people </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">don't feel they are safe. So you won't get the best </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">care. But people are also suspicious because there are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">military there. [After the September ZCTU rally when </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">many protesters were attacked by police] the head of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the casualty unit was very negative. He said these are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">prisoners; this is not urgent; we can see them tomorrow. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Inadequate Availability of Medical Services </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The poor state of the health system exacerbated </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the victims' problems accessing care. BA, who was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">abducted on a Thursday went to two public hospitals </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">before he found one with a doctor and necessary </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical supplies. "I was admitted on Friday. There </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was no doctor. They even said the doctor was coming </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the following Monday." He was given only Tylenol </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">even though he was still bleeding profusely and was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in severe pain. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">On the third day of his detention in the fall of 2006, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">LG was taken by police to a public hospital "...where </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they did little to assist us. They gave us pain killers." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Upon his release the following day, he went to a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">private clinic where surgery was performed on his </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">fractured hand and leg. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Difficulties Accessing Medical Care </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in South Africa </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Several of the Zimbabwean victims of political </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">violence interviewed for this report who fled to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">South Africa encountered significant difficulties in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">obtaining needed medical care there. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">For example, VM, suffered a loss of hearing and pain </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">as a result of beatings to the head. We found he had a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ruptured tympanic membrane (ear drum). "Life is very </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">hard here. I can't get food. I can't get treatment. Still I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">have pain in my ear, but I can't get treatment, because </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they don't give it to you if you don't have any ID." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">NF is an elderly woman who had symptomatic high </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">blood pressure upon arrival. She was prescribed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">treatment but could not pay for it. "I said I am not </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">working and they said, 'You must work--then go to the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">doctor.'" </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">YD, who had a severe head wound from his beating, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">had a similar experience: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">When I arrived in South Africa I went to a hospital and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the doctors said the blood was coming out bit by bit, so </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they sewed up the veins. Then they bandaged me and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">told me I should be having a skin grafting in the future. I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was supposed to be admitted but I haven't gotten refugee </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">status or a temporary refugee document. I applied but I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">haven't gotten it yet, and so they told me I am supposed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to pay _1,000 Rand for the graft because I am a foreigner. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">So I just told them I don't have that kind of money, I </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">don't even have a place to stay. They said they can't do </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">anything. They are treating more than _0 Zimbabweans </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">every day. So now Zimbabweans have to pay. They said </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">come back when I have the money. So far there is no way </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I can get that money. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">At the time of evaluation, YD still had a large open </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">wound on his head that he was doing his best to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">keep clean so it would not become infected. He also </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was easily startled, had difficulty sleeping, and had </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">frequent nightmares when he did fall asleep. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">DK, an HIV positive Zimbabwean who arrived in 2002 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">after being tortured and raped by ZANU-PF military </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">described the many problems of having no citizenship </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">papers. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">I haven't started on anti-retrovirals because I know that </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">it's important that once you start you don't stop, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">it's difficult for me because of my status. I have not been </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">granted asylum yet. I applied for asylum in 2003, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">still have not heard a decision. They are still postponing. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">It's a puzzle. It seems the South African government has </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">taken a position that those people who are real victims of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">torture— they have made a decision not to grant them </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political status. My status is asylum pending. I don't </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">qualify for medical benefits. Nothing. I can't afford the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medications for HIV on my own. Sometimes we have it </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">very tough just to put a meal on the table. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 45 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">According to the South African Constitution, everyone </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in the country, regardless of legal status is entitled </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to lifesaving care. The 1998 Refugee Act provides </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">for even greater access to health care for refugees </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and other non-citizens in the country with permits. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Access to health care for refugees and asylum seekers, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">however, remains a significant challenge. According </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to a recent report by the Consortium for Refugees and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Migrants in South Africa6. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Many refugees and asylum seekers report being refused </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">access to treatment at clinics and hospitals. Often, they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">face the same understaffing, lack of medication and long </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">waiting times at public health care providers that many </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">South Africans also suffer. But in many instances, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">international migrants also face discrimination and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ignorance of their rights when they attempt to access </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical services. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The refugee advocates in South Africa with whom </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">we spoke cited several contributing factors to this </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">including lack of official documentation from the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Department of Home Affairs, xenophobia, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">confusion among health providers over the rights </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">different categories of migrants have to services, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ambiguous guidelines for asylum seekers. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Noted Dr Loren Landau, Director of the Forced </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Migration Studies Program at the University of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Witwatersrand, South Africa: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwean refugees and asylum seekers certainly need </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">better access to basic services. This can be accomplished </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">by strengthening and enhancing access to government </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">funded social, housing and medical services, and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">educating providers. Furthermore, there needs to be </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">increased support for nongovernmental organizations </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">assisting Zimbabwean refugees and asylum seekers. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">6. Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Protecting Refugees and Asylum Seekers in South Africa. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Pretoria, South Africa: June 19, 2007. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">IX. HARASSMENT OF </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">DOCTORS AND LAWYERS </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ASSISTING VICTIMS OF </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">TORTURE AND POLITICAL </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">VIOLENCE IN ZIMBABWE </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Doctors and lawyers provided numerous accounts </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of receiving direct verbal threats from police and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">government authorities. They reported receiving </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">messages at their workplaces, at home, and on their </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">personal cell phones warning them not to "interfere" </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with state-sponsored violence. Government authorities </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">also obstructed lawyers' access to clients (see Chapter </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">VI), and insisted on being present while medical </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">doctors examined political prisoners. International </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">standards and codes of professional conduct clearly </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">delineate the rights and responsibilities of doctors and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">lawyers to function independently and without such </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">harassment and intimidation.1 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Intimidation and Harassment of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Doctors </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">One Zimbabwean human rights advocate summarized </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the situation of Zimbabwean health professionals as </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">follows: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">There is the stress of being in a system under stress, but </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">then being watched closely. People take an oath of caring </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">for someone, but then [are prevented] if you take care of a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political prisoner. Imagine if you were a doctor or nurse </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">1. World Medical Association. Declaration of Hamburg. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">(Declaration Concerning Support for Medical Doctors </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Refusing to Participate in, or to Condone, the Use of Torture </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">or other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment). </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">November, 1997. Available at: http://www.wma.net/e/ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">policy/c19.htm; World Medical Association. Declaration of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Madrid on Professional Autonomy and Self-Regulation. May </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">2005. Available at: http://www.wma.net/e/policy/a21.htm; </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">World Medical Association. Declaration of Geneva. September </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">1948 and editorially revised May 2006. Available at: http:// </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">www.wma.net/e/policy/c8.htm; Eighth United Nations </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Offenders. Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers. September </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">1990. Available at: http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">b/h_comp44.htm; United Nations General Assembly. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Crime and Abuse of Power. Adopted by General Assembly </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">resolution 40/34, November 29, 1985. Available at: http:// </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/h_comp49.htm. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">46 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">at one of the hospitals where the victims were brought </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and you are just trying to do your job--and you have </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">people in riot gear watching over you. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">After forming the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">for Human Rights (ZADHR) in 2002, its chairman Dr. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Douglas Gwatidzo was contacted by the Zimbabwean </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Minister of Health and questioned by the Zimbabwean </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Intelligence Service about the group's activities. In </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">2004, the Zimbabwean government accused ZADHR </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of being "one of the vehicles through which [foreign] </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">forces are trying to spread malicious reports about the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">human rights situation in the country."2 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Dr. Gwatidzo said such claims are false and are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">intended to instill fear in doctors of openly supporting </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ZADHR.3 "Many doctors don't want to be identified </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with ZADHR publicly," he explained to investigators. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">While Dr. Gwatidzo was in New York in April 2007 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">speaking about the March 11 events, his wife received </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">phone calls at home requesting him to appear at </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the police station when he returned. Otto Saki of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwean Lawyers for Human Rights explained </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">that Dr. Gwatidzo is "on the radar" due to his </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">documentation of police violence and interference with </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical care surrounding the events of March 11th. "He </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">had taken pictures of the people he was attending to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and they were not taking it lightly." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">"The work I do is not acceptable to the system," </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">said Dr. Gwatizdo. However, he sees it as his central </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">responsibility as a clinician to treat all those injured, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">regardless of political affiliations. "I am a general </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">practitioner. I do accident and injury work," he </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">explained. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">On March 24, 2007, ZADHR released a petition to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">protest the hospital delays in caring for those arrested </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">after the state sponsored attack on MDC leader </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Tsvangirai and others and the intimidating and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">antagonistic police presence in the hospital once they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were finally brought for treatment: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Despite their best efforts, health professionals in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe are placed in an impossible position as they </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">are prevented from treating "politically unacceptable" </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">2. Zimbabwe Sunday Mail. July 2004. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">3. Pincock S. Douglas Gwatidzo: Defending Human Rights </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in Zimbabwe. The Lancet. 2005;366:363. Information also </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">confirmed in interview with investigators, May 2007. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">citizens. Efforts taken by health professionals to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">document and prevent human rights abuses meet </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">with further intimidation by security forces. The </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">treatment of the leader of the opposition, Mr. Morgan </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Tsvangirai, on the night of his assault illustrates this </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">situation. After his arrest and subsequent assault </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">he collapsed while being held in police cells. He was </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">taken to the Accident and Emergency Department </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of the government Central Hospital at 03:00hrs. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The A&amp;E department was cordoned off. A junior </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">medical officer on duty was made to review him in the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">presence of armed police, which he did superficially </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">without reference to senior colleagues. He did not </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">implement effective management of Mr. Tsvangirai's </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">injuries so that the latter was released back to the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">police despite having lost sufficient blood to lose </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">consciousness again the next day. He was eventually </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">treated at a private hospital where he required a blood </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">transfusion.4 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A spokesperson for ZADHR explained that doctors </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were constantly being intimidated by the police: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">It's that level of intimidation, you censor yourself. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Even at Avenues [a private clinic in Harare that </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">frequently treats victims of the police] the armed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">police come into the examining room. It takes </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">someone quite mature to say' no you can't go into the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">room.' Or if they are in the room (they demand) how </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to do our job. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The young doctor who initially attended to Mr. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Tsvangirai on March 11 was especially nervous, Dr. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Gwatidzo said: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">And so they [the police] said 'everyone else out'. For </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">someone who is young that is intimidating... They </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were not saying, 'Don't do this.' But at the end of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">day, they are taking him [the prisoner]. The young </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">doctor had to examine him in the middle of the night </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">after March 11th in the presence of police. They have </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">created a very tense atmosphere. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Several doctors told us how stressful they found the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">constant surveillance of their work. They did not </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">even feel comfortable identifying themselves for </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">this report because they feared harassment. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">4. Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The time to speak and to make a difference is now. Available </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">at: http://www.ifhhro.org/files/Petition_March_24_07_ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ZADHR.doc. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 47 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Intimidation and Threats to Lawyers </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Lawyers have also been harassed by the government.5 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">As one ZLHR lawyer told us: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">While the lawyers have been threatened in the past, it </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">is on the increase. I had an anonymous call soon after </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">March 11th. I was actually at home... the person said to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">me, 'If you continue representing these guys we will f-- </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">- you up. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">On the day of the court order allowing Gift Tandare's </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">burial, another attorney was threatened by the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">commander of the Law and Order Section of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwean police force, Musarashana Mabunda. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">He said, 'During the liberation struggle lawyers </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">disappeared. So you are fighting for the liberation of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">country. So you can also disappear. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The threats, including anonymous threatening phone </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">calls to the wives of 2 attorneys on April 25 led ZLHR </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to provide security at the homes of several of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">attorneys. Two were arrested on May 4, 2007 and all of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">their records were seized.6 In response 60 human rights </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">lawyers attended a peaceful demonstration in front </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">of the National High Court building on May 8. One </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">lawyer was beaten up in front of the court buildings </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and ten others were arrested and released that day. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">According to Front Line, a Dublin-based human rights </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">organization: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Reportedly, three truckloads of riot police, uniformed </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">officers and individuals in plain clothes armed with </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">automatic rifles, shot guns and batons initiated the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">attack, verbally abused the lawyers and physically </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">attacked them on charges of "not dispersing fast enough." </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A number of lawyers sought protection inside the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Attorney General's office but were physically attacked </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">by riot police and additional officers waiting inside the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">building. The lawyers Beatrice Mtetwa, Colin Kuhuni, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Chris Mhike and Terrence Fitzpatrick were placed onto a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">police truck and driven to Eastlea, a nearby suburb where </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they were ordered to lie on the ground on the side of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">5. Federation for Human Rights. Ill-treatment / Arbitrary </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">detentions and releases / Judicial proceedings / Unlawful </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">search - ZWE 003 / 0507 / OBS 046. Available at: http:// </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">www.fidh.org/article.php3?id_article=4299. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">6. Reuters. "Two Lawyers Arrested In Zimbabwe Sweep". </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">New York Times. May 6, 2007. Available at: http://query. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980CEFDE1E3EF935A3 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">5756C0A9619C8B63. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">road and beaten in full view of the public. The lawyers </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were then released on the roadside.7 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Some ZLHR lawyers described an increasing sense of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">demoralization: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">One thing we are very concerned about is that even as </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">lawyers we get to a stage that we are starting to burn </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">out. There are about 10 of us. That's why it's easy to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">threaten us. They know it is the same lawyers. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Fewer and fewer professionals are willing and able to </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">work under such stressful conditions, and "brain drain" </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">is increasing rapidly according to the Southern African </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Migration Project (SAMP) and others.8 "Compassion </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">fatigue" or "secondary traumatization," the stress of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">working with those in crisis, has also been documented.9 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">7. Front line. Ongoing harassment of human rights lawyers in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Zimbabwe. Available at: http://www.frontlinedefenders.org. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">8. See Chikanda, Abel "Skilled health professionals' </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">migration and its impact on health delivery in Zimbabwe" </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">in Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, May 2006. Also </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Stilwell B. Developing evidence-based ethical policies on </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the migration of health workers: conceptual and practical </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">challenges. Hum Resour Health. 2003;1:8. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">9. Beaton RD, Murphy SA. Working with people in crisis: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Research Implications. In: Figley CR, ed. Compassion fatigue: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Coping with secondary traumatic stress disorder in those who treat </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the traumatized. NY: Brunner/Mazel; 1995:51-81.</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">48 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">X. Risks and Limitations of this </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Investigation </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">While names and other identifying information of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">informants and victims of torture/political violence are </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">not included in this report (except where permission </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">was given to do so), individuals were informed of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">risk of being identified based on narrative information </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">presented in this report. All individuals nonetheless </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">agreed to be interviewed. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Much of this report is based upon the evaluation of a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">relatively small sample (24). One cannot necessarily </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">extrapolate the results of these interviews to the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">population of torture victims in Zimbabwe as a </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">whole or to the general Zimbabwean population. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Additionally, the individuals in the sample were not </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">randomly selected but were referred for evaluation. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Nevertheless, the group interviewed offers a cross </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">section in terms of gender, age and political stature. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Individuals included both prominent leaders of the </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political opposition as well as local organizers and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ordinary citizens. Furthermore, our findings were also </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">consistent with information gathered in more than </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">30 meetings with health professionals, human rights </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">advocates and representatives of non-governmental </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">organizations in Zimbabwe and South Africa. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Interviews were transcribed by the evaluating </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">physicians (Drs Keller and Stewart). While every </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">effort was made to accurately transcribe individual's </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">comments, for safety reasons interviews were not tape </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">recorded to confirm exact statements made. Interviews </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were conducted in English except for two evaluations </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">where translators were used. Errors in translation in </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">these two cases cannot be ruled out. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">In conducting forensic evaluations of individuals </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">claiming harm/injury from violent acts such as torture, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">the potential for individuals falsifying information, </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">exaggerating symptoms or falsely claiming that physical </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">findings are associated with their reported abuse must </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">be considered. The individuals in this report underwent </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">detailed evaluations, typically lasting 2 hours, and were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">found to be highly credible and have clear physical and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">psychological findings corroborating their allegations of </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">torture and abuse. Furthermore, as noted in the methods </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">section, rigorous criteria were used to define torture and </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">political violence. The two physicians agreed in all cases </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">on the classifications of individuals as victims of torture </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">and/or political violence. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">The victims evaluated for this report did not appear </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">to be exaggerating or falsely reporting the events </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">they described. They were forthcoming about what </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">events they did and did not recall and what abusive </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">treatments they did and did not experience. The </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">findings on physical and psychological evaluation </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">were consistent with the events individuals described. </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Furthermore, individuals readily acknowledged that </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">some of the scars noted on physical examination were </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">unrelated to their imprisonment and mistreatment.</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 49 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">XI. TABLES </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Demographic Information </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">(n=24) </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Frequency Percentage </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Gender </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Female 5 21 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Male 19 79 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Age </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">19-25 6 25 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">26-35 9 38 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">36-45 5 21 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">46-55 1 4 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">56-65 3 13 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">MDC Affiliate </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Member 4 17 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Local Organizer 12 50 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">National Organizer/leader 6 25 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Non Member 2 8 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Table 2: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">History of Political Violence or Torture pre and post March </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">11, 2007 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">(n=24) </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Frequency Percentage </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Pre 3/11 Political violence 11 46 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Pre 3/11 Torture 9 38 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Post 3/11 Political violence 7 29 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Post 3/11 Fear of political violence 24 100 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Post 3/11 History of torture 16 67 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Pre 3/11 Political violence OR torture 15 63 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Post 3/11 Political violence OR torture 20 83</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">50 / Torture and Political Violence in Zimbabwe </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Table 3: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Trauma History </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">(n=24 unless specified) </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Frequency Percentage </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Jailed 15 63 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Abducted 5 21 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Denied legal services in prison (n=15) 6 40 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Delayed medical services in prison (n=15) 6 40 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Denied medical services in prison (n= 15) 1 7 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Continued physical symptoms 24 100 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Corroborated physical symptoms 24 100 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Significant psychological symptoms based on clinical interview </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">or diagnosis </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">24 100 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Family persecuted/harassed 11 46 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Perpetrators of pre 3/11 violence (n= 16) </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">CIO 3 19 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Police 9 56 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">War Veterans 4 25 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ZANU-PF Militia 2 13 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ZANU-PF Youth 5 31 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Perpetrators of post 3/11 violence (n=20) </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">CIO 2 10 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Police 15 75 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">ZANU-PF Youth 2 10 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Unknown 2 10 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Table 4: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Frequency of Individuals Meeting cut-off for HSCL-25 and HTQ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Frequency above </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">cut-off </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Percentage </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Hopkins Symptom Checklist- 25 (n= 18) </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Anxiety Subscale 16 88.9 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Depression Subscale 15 83.3 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (n= 17) </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">PTSD 13 76.4</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">A Crisis in Democracy, Health and Human Rights / 51 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Table 5: </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Most Frequently Endorsed Symptoms on HSCL-15 and HTQ </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Frequency Percentage </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (n= 18) </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Anxiety Subscale </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Spells of terror or panic 11 61 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Feeling restless, Can't sit still 10 56 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Feeling fearful 10 56 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Faintness, dizziness, or weakness 9 50 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Nervousness or shakiness inside 9 50 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Feeling tense or keyed up 9 50 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Headaches 9 50 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Depression Subscale </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep 15 83 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Worrying too much about things 13 72 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Poor appetite 12 67 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Feeling blue 12 67 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Feeling lonely 12 67 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (n=17) </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">PTSD </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Recurrent thoughts or memories of the most </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">hurtful or terrifying events </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">16 94 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Feeling on guard 15 88 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Recurrent nightmares 14 82 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Trouble sleeping 14 82 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Feelings as though the event is happening </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">again </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">13 76 </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">Sudden emotional of physical reaction </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">when reminded of the most hurtful or </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">traumatic events </div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica">13 76</div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8807481968885053633-3323530001837990629?l=zimfinalpush8.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>