The month of June saw the levels of organised violence being sustained with little indication that the Government of National Unity (GNU) was committed to ending human rights violations in the country. Disregard for the rule of law, corruption, intimidation, abuse of political office and the militarisation of both public and private institutions continue to dog Zimbabwe and stifle any meaningful economic recovery.
The Monthly Political Violence Report of June 2009 documents the harassment, arrest, detention and beatings of Women Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) and Men of Zimbabwe Arise (MOZA) members as they took part in marches to commemorate the United Nations International Refugee Day in Harare and Bulawayo. Moreover, documentation is made for arests of two student leaders as part of the clampdown on the student movement. Furthermore, instances of media repression, including the arrest and assault of two journalists, are of note. Incidents of violence against civilians comitted by the Zimbabwe National Army have increased, as well as farm invasions have not been stopped. In total, the number of human rights violations has gone up to 125, compared to 99 in the previous month, while an Amnesty International fact-finding mission has found the situation in Zimbabwe to be fragile.
Download PDF, 294 KB
