2. Background Zimbabwe has had an extensive history of gross human rights violations over the past three decades. The Liberation War of the 1970s, the low intensity war of the 1980s in Matabeleland and the Midlands, the deteriorating human rights climate in the 1990s, all form the context in which the current situation must be seen. 2.1 Liberation War The Liberation War of the 1970s was well documented, both at the time by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace as well as subsequently by historians. There are now a number of reports on the human rights violations that took place1. These are supplemented by scientific reports2. These reports indicate human rights violations such as extra-judicial killings, physical torture, psychological torture, rape, mass terror, and disappearances, in addition to the more usual casualties of war. From the pattern of organised violence, the "pungwes" deserve special attention. These night meetings were a combination of traditional ceremony with songs and dances, but were also occasions for political education. "Sellouts" and political opponents were tortured and frequently executed at these "pungwes". The long-term consequences are also described. A recent epidemiological study shows that the number of persons suffering from disabilities and psychological disorders is still very high: more than 1 person in 10 over the age of 30 was shown to have physical disability, psychological disorder or both3. Disappearances are also known to have a serious impact on survivors 4. The gross rights violations of the 1970s were all excused by formal statutes of impunity beginning in 1975 and ending in 1980 with a formal amnesty for all human rights violators passed by the British government. 2.2 Matabeleland (Gukurahundi) The pattern of gross human rights violations seen in the 1970s was repeated during the low intensity war that affected Matabeleland and the Midlands in the 1980s. This has been well documented in the Breaking the Silence report produced by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) and the Legal Resources Foundation (LRF)5. A Government Commission produced a report during the period in question, but its findings were suppressed by the government and the subject of a Supreme Court application currently. The CCJP/LRF report has been corroborated subsequently by other reports6. These reports document extra-judicial killings, physical torture, psychological torture, rape, mass terror and 1 See AMANI (1997)(a), Survivors of Torture in Mount Darwin District, Mashonaland Central Province: Overview of Report and Recommendations, LEGAL FORUM, 9, 49-60; AMANI (1998), The Psycho-Social Needs of Survivors of Organised Violence and Torture in the Community, HARARE: AMANI. 2 See AMANI (1998), Survivors of Torture and Organised Violence from the 1970s War of Liberation, HARARE: AMANI; MUPINDA M (1995) Loss and grief among the Shona: the Meaning of Disappearances, LEGAL FORUM, 9, 41-49; REELER, A.P. (1998), Epidemic violence and the community: A Zimbabwean case study, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT JOURNAL, 33, 128-139; REELER,A.P., & MUPINDA,M.(1996), Investigation into the sequelae of Torture and Organised Violence amongst Zimbabwean War Veterans, LEGAL FORUM, 8, 12-27. 3 See REELER,A.P., MBAPE,P., MATSHONA,J., MHETURA,J., & HLATYWAYO,E. (1998), The prevalence and nature of disorders due to torture in Mashonaland Central Province, Zimbabwe, TORTURE (submitted for publication). 4 See MUPINDA M (1995) Loss and grief among the Shona: the Meaning of Disappearances, LEGAL FORUM, 9, 41-49 5 See CCJP/LRF (1997), Breaking the Silence. Building True Peace: A Report on the Disturbances in Matabeleland and the Midlands, 1980 to 1988, HARARE: CATHOLIC COMMISSION FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE, & LEGAL RESOURCES FOUNDATION. 6 See AMANI [1998](c), Survivors of Organised Violence in Matabeleland: Facilitating an Agenda for Development, Report of the Workshop, BULAWAYO: AMANI; AMANI (1999) "A "Report on the Exhumation and Reburial Exercise Overseen by the AMANI Trust in Gwanda Distri ct, 25 July to 3 September 1999" BULAWAYO: AMANI; EPPEL, Shari: "Drying the Tears of the Dead: A Way to Heal the Living": conference paper presented at the Traumatic Stress in South Africa conference, Johannesburg, January 1999. 5