US-based AIDS-Free World said in a 64-page report published last Thursday
that most of those who unleashed the rape orgy were known because the
Zanu (PF) supporters who carried out the attacks, including members of
the pro-Mugabe youth militia and former soldiers in Zimbabwes war
of liberation known as war veterans, identified themselves to their
victims.
All the women targeted were supporters of Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirais MDC-T party, the report said.
“The evidence is incontrovertible: Mugabe believes he can sanction
rape without fear of consequences. Zimbabwe is perhaps the greatest
test for ending impunity, said Stephen Lewis, a co-director of
AIDS-Free World.
Some women were forced to watch the rape of their daughters and murder
of their husbands and other family members before or after they were
raped.
Others were held as sex slaves for several weeks at the numerous
torture camps set up by Zanu (PF) in the run-up and after the disputed
presidential election run-off in June 2008 which was controversially
won by Mugabe.
Top army and police commanders are credited with keeping Mugabe in
power after waging a ruthless campaign of violence last year to force
then opposition leader Tsvangirai to withdraw from a second round
presidential poll that analysts had strongly tipped the former trade
unionist to win.
Tsvangirai had beaten Mugabe in the first round ballot but failed to
achieve outright victory to avoid the second round run-off poll.
The former foes eventually bowed to pressure from southern African
leaders to agree to form a government of national unity that has been
able to halt the economy from sinking deeper into the mire but has
struggled to ensure the rule of law and to uphold human rights.
The AIDS-Free World report, titled Electing to Rape: Sexual Terror in
Mugabes Zimbabwe, said the rapes and other crimes against humanity
committed by Mugabes supporters have received little public
attention, adding that there was need for a concerted regional effort
to bring both high and low level perpetrators to justice.
Lewis said silence and inaction by international community made it
complicity in the crimes committed against innocent civilians by
Mugabes supporters.
He said: “It is terrible to say, but legitimate to say, that makes
individual countries, sub-regions, entire regions and the
international community complicit in what Robert Mugabe is doing.
If President (Jacob) Zuma were to condemn outright the behaviour of
Robert Mugabe and make it clear that South Africa would no longer
tolerate the destabilisation of Southern Africa, then Robert Mugabes
days would be numbered,” Lewis observed.
The 64-page report is based on extensive interviews with 72 survivors
and witnesses of rape and other violations, and documents 380 rapes
committed by 241 perpetrators across Zimbabwes 10 provinces.
The advocacy group criticised the coalition government formed by
Mugabe and Tsvangirai in February of failure to act against
perpetrators of the rights abuses.
The report said the government of Zimbabwe was well aware of the
widespread sexual violence against women during this period, adding
that the Joint Operations Command (JOC) masterminded the campaign of
violence and abuse.
The JOC is the supreme organ of Zimbabwe state security comprising the
heads of the military, police, intelligence services, prisons and the
central bank.
The report goes on to detail Mugabes own complicity in the rapes,
explaining how the ageing dictator not only knew about the campaign,
but also refused to prevent it or punish those responsible.
This combination of knowledge, the refusal to prevent, and the
failure to punish the widespread political rape requires that Robert
Mugabe and members of the JOC should be investigated and prosecuted
for their individual criminal liability for the rapes, the report
reads.
More than 200 people, mostly MDC supporters, died during the violence
campaign carried out by the youth militias and members of Zimbabwes
security forces.
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