Zimbabwe

Dear Friends,

As the Presidential run-off election takes place, the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum today, 27.6.08, released its Monthly Political Violence Report for April 2008, documenting politically motivated human rights violations which occurred soon after the 29.4.06 Harmonised Elections in Zimbabwe .

The Report notes with great concern the very high number of torture cases in April; having recorded 560 cases of torture amongst other violations including 550 assaults, 412 displacements, and 712 transgressions against freedom of association movement or expression and 783 of political discrimination.

Due to the high number of torture cases, the April Report gives an overview picture, there being too great a number of cases to include in the body of the report. Further detail about these cases will be available on our web site early next week. Please contact us separately if you wish to be sent this information beforehand.

In the light of what the report notes are ‘all the negative circumstances’ accompanying today’s election, the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum asserts that elections today cannot possibly be free or fair.