That this was Zanu-PF’s response even to the report of the mission of the African Commission illustrates a fundamental refusal to deal in any credible way with the substance of these reports.7 3. Torture and organised violence In the previous REDRESS report we commented: Taken as a whole, [the] data present a very disturbing picture, and add depth to the numerous reports of human rights violations in Zimbabwe during the period July 2001 to December 2003. The analysis clearly indicates that human rights violations in Zimbabwe over this period cannot be described as random acts of political violence between political parties, nor as clashes due to problems over land. The strongest association is between human rights violations and elections, and this confirms the views of all reports by human rights groups, both Zimbabwean and international. It also confirms the views of the various reputable observer groups: that, elections in Zimbabwe are accompanied by significant levels of violence.8 The report showed that there was a very high frequency of Government officers and Zanu-PF supporters amongst the perpetrators, as compared to MDC and other groups. This does not accord with the Government’s claim that there was significant inter-party violence, and instead supports the claims that there has been a systematic campaign of organised violence and torture supported by the Government.9 Zimbabwe is now heading for a new set of parliamentary elections under a new set of standards adopted by SADC in August 2004 – the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections – and under these new standards it is crucial that organised violence and torture are absent for the elections to be declared ‘free and fair.’ the report of the Parliamentary Committee on Social Welfare, a mass of representations from most Zimbabwean NGOs, international NGOs, and even the United Nations Development Programme. 7 REDRESS commented previously upon the report from the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which had been submitted to the Executive Council of the African Union – see REDRESS Zimbabwe: Tortuous Patterns Destined to Repeat Themselves in the Upcoming Election Campaign, p. 2-3. After desperate attempts by the Zimbabwe Government to delay, block and obfuscate the damning conclusions in the report, which included confirmation of torture and other human rights violations having occurred, particularly in respect of the 2002 presidential election, the AU finally adopted the report in January 2005. The Zimbabwe Government’s response does not deal in any credible way with the allegations contained in the report of the Mission of the African Commission. Apart from demeaning the Commission, and thereby the African Union, the response of the Zimbabwe Government contains outlandish assertions and blatant lies. For example, to assert that opposition MPs commit crimes in order the tarnish the reputation of the Government flies in the face of the facts. To claim that all crimes are dealt with, when the cases against Dowa and Mwale, for example, and the many alleged perpetrators in the case-studies, have yet to even reach court, seriously undermines the Government’s claim that all crimes are dealt with. 8 See REDRESS Zimbabwe: Tortuous Patterns Destined to Repeat Themselves in the Upcoming Election Campaign p. 27. 9 Furthermore, the range of Government supporters and agents was comprehensive, with hardly a group missing: MPs, the police, the CIO, “war veterans” from the ZNLWVA, Zanu-PF youth, Zanu-PF officials, Zanu-PF supporters, and even government officials being implicated in the reports received. 5