28,000 people fled their homes, more than 9,000 tortured & 180 killed in Zimbabwe - Amnesty International report

Friday, October 31, 2008
BILL CORCORAN in Johannesburg

AT LEAST 180 people have been murdered and more than 9,000 tortured in Zimbabwe since the general election last March by people loyal to the ruling regime, according to a new Amnesty International report.

Many of the people subjected to violence in the months leading up to the June 27th presidential election run-off between opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and President Mugabe were taken to torture camps by the army and police to be brutalised by people they often knew, the report reveals.

"The bulk of the victims reported being attacked because they were accused by security forces, war veterans [a Mugabe militia] and Zanu-PF [ruling party] supporters of having voted 'wrongly' in the March election.

"Although it was difficult to quantify the number of internally displaced people, an estimated 28,000 people fled their homes as a result of the violence. The majority fled to urban areas to seek medical attention and refuge," states the report.

State-sponsored violence erupted in Zimbabwe following the March election once it became apparent the ruling regime had lost its parliamentary majority and Mr Mugabe was forced into an election run-off for the presidency.

As well as physical beatings, the report claims many men and women accused of supporting the opposition party were also subjected to sexual violence, including rape, and their property and possessions were uniformly destroyed or stolen.