Persecution continues - NGOs

The persecution of opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters in Zimbabwe has continued following President Robert Mugabe's election victory, IRIN was told on Wednesday.

Francis Lovemore, medical director of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Amani Trust, told IRIN: "There's an enormous amount of persecution (of MDC supporters). (There's) a witch-hunt for people who voted MDC. Whole areas are on the run - a community of about 3,000 people who are unable to remain at home. About 1,200 MDC polling agents, who were registered to monitor for the MDC, are unable to stay at home, they are on the run."

In its political violence report for the period 1-15 March, the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (ZimRights) noted that "the majority of violators have been supporters of the ruling party ZANU-PF, state agents and war veterans". Apart from reported cases of politically motivated murders and abductions are incidents of rape.

Lovemore said: "The victims of the violence are being forced to commit sexual acts, homosexual or heterosexual. It is being used as a form of torture."

ZimRights said its report detailed "politically motivated violence reported in the period directly before, during and after the March poll".

"Contrary to the impression given by the state that there were no incidents of violence during the actual polling days, the Human Rights Forum recorded more than 24 incidents of politically motivated violence in this period and on the extended polling day of 11 March," ZimRights said.

The forum alleged that since 1 March four politically motivated executions were perpetrated, bringing to 35 the number of politically motivated killings since the beginning of the year. They alleged that 46 people had been unlawfully detained (72 since the beginning of the year) and that 50 people had been abducted (175 since 1 January).

The NGO alleged there had been 187 cases of torture, bringing the total to 453 up to 15 March this year.

Meanwhile, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who was formally charged with treason on Wednesday, has dismissed the attempt to prosecute him. Tsvangirai told IRIN: "The position is that this is ongoing political harassment and that we are not going to be (distracted) from our thrust. We are going to go ahead."

Tsvangirai was charged for alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate Mugabe, which he has denied.

Lovemore said she was relieved that the Commonwealth had on Tuesday suspended Zimbabwe from the body for a year. The Commonwealth took the decision to suspend Zimbabwe after it received a damning report on the March presidential election from its observer team.

South African President Thabo Mbeki, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and Australian Prime Minister John Howard had been tasked with deciding what action the Commonwealth should take if the report was adverse. Lovemore said: "The message (sent by the suspension) was desperately important."

A national stayaway called for by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions to protest the election result has not resulted in the expected shutdown of major centres. "A high percentage of people were at work," Lovemore said.