Impunity has become the central problem in Zimbabwe, where state security forces - police officers, army officers or agents of the Central Intelligence Organization (CIO) - commit widespread human rights violations without being brought to justice. The Zimbabwean government has also organized, coordinated or otherwise encouraged "militias" to carry out threats, assaults, abductions, torture and killings against its perceived political enemies. As a disguised arm of the state, these informal "militias" are composed of supporters of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party, members of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) and unemployed rural youths, sometimes press-ganged into their activities. Police have often accompanied these "militias" in committing their crimes. And after December 2001, members of an official national youth service trained as a paramilitary force joined the informal "militias" in committing human rights violations across the country. Amnesty International uses the term "militia" to refer to all such groups. A culture of impunity has been reinforced in Zimbabwe for the "militias", state agents and other supporters of the ruling party who carry out politically motivated violations.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Oct 2013 09:22:38 +0000