The Following is an Editorial Reflecting the Views of the US Government

The Zimbabwean government's poor record on human rights deteriorated even
more last year, amid the turmoil surrounding the national elections and the
Mugabe regime's campaign to maintain its grip on the troubled nation.

The ZANU-PF party's control and manipulation of the political process
through violence, intimidation and corruption denied the people of
Zimbabwe's right for democratic rule. Unlawful killings and politically
motivated abductions increased. State-sponsored violence against activists
and opponents at times seemed to rage unchecked. Harassment of humanitarian
aid workers interfered with the delivery of desperately needed assistance as
hunger and disease spread through the country.

Every year, the United States Department of State assesses the human rights
conditions in hundreds of countries, in an effort to inform U.S.
policymaking and promote the values of personal and political freedom. In
focusing on human rights abuses, the study also strives to spark action to
end them.

In January, President Robert Mugabe ceded some power by accepting Morgan
Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change, the MDC, as Zimbabwe's
prime minister in an inclusive government. While the flagrant killings and
beatings by security forces and regime loyalists have by and large stopped,
many MDC supporters and human rights activists remain in jail. The February
13 arrest of Roy Bennett, a senior MDC official named to serve as deputy
agriculture minister also raises doubts about Mugabe's intentions and
interest in true reform.

All nations have international obligations to respect the universal human
rights and freedoms of their citizens and it is the responsibility of others
to speak out when they believe those obligations are not being fulfilled.