LATEST FROM ZIMBABWE

Dear Friends,

The reports of violations of human rights in Zimbabwe are overwhelming and the International Office has made a decision to send daily emails with a compilation of the reports. Today we have 7 reports from member organisations and 4 statements from other organisations mainly related to the worries about the recount, the increasing violence and the Chinese ship:

From our member organisations:

- Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights, (ZADHR) issued a statement today, 23.04.08 reporting an additional 81 cases of organised violence and torture (OVT) which have been seen and treated by the ZADHR members in the last three days ending 21st April 2008 , including a girl of 7 and a boy of 10 years of age. ZADHR reports having seen a cumulative total of 323 cases of OVT since the 1st April 2008 . We attach their statement here.

- Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, (ZLHR) has been closely monitoring the controversial recounts ongoing across Zimbabwe since Saturday. Yesterday, 22.04.08, ZLHR issued the attached statement with an update on the vote recounts. ZLHR expresses considerable concern over a hostile environment in which observers are reportedly harassed and intimidated. Other issues including the time frame, difficulties in accessing recounting centres, the overwhelming presence of police officers suspected of having conducted electoral malpractices and the stalling of the recounting process at some centres due to power cuts.

- The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) has issued two Information Alerts since yesterday, both of which we attach here.
-- The first of 21.4.08 and attached here records an alarming increase of incidents of gross forms of physical attack on civilians by soldiers in army gear. ZPP states that ‘shocking cases of violence’ were recorded in the provinces and the capital of Zimbabwe during the weekend of Zimbabwe ’s 28th Independence celebrations.
-- The second, also attached, issued today 23.4.08 concerns the continuation of politically motivated violence with particular reports from the provinces of the Midlands and Matabeleland North.

- The Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ) released the attached Daily Media Update, No 34 yesterday, 22.4.08. MMPZ is of the opinion that state controlled daily newspapers are being used for propaganda which they note is reminiscent of that used by the Rwandan authorities before the 1994 genocide.

- The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), has issued several Alert Updates over the last days which can be viewed on their website at http://www.misa.org/
- The first, issued today, 23.4.08, welcomes the decision by the state not to prosecute a freelance journalist in the eastern city of Mutare charged with contravening controversial and repressive legislation.
- The second, also issued today, 23.4.08, concerns the denial of bail to freelance journalist Frank Chikowore and other accused persons among them the MDC Information and Publicity Luke Tamborinkyoka who are facing charges of inciting public violence.
- The third Alert, issued on 22.4.08 concerns a freelance journalist and registered media student, Stanley Karomo who was arrested while taking notes at the independence celebration in Harare . He spent 3 nights in police custody and was released after paying an admission of guilt fine

Other statements include:

The Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) released the attached statement today, 23.04.08 about events that took place over the last few days with students joining countrywide protests in tertiary institutions including at Bindura and Masvingo Universities and the assaults and arrests which followed.

We have several items concerning the Chinese ship with arms destined for Zimbabwe .
-Firstly, we attach a statement, issued today 23.4.08 by Amnesty International calling for a halt to all shipments of small arms, light weapons and ammunition ordered from China by Zimbabwe.
-Yesterday, 22.4.08 there was a Press Release by the International Transport Workers Federation, the ITF, a global federation representing 654 unions from 148 countries representing 4,418,455 workers worldwide. Find the full statement on: http://www.itfglobal.org/press-area/index.cfm/pressdetail/1921
- Finally, a world-wide E-Petition calling for a stop to weapons shipments to Zimbabwe can be signed via the following link:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/no_arms_for_zimbabwe/