This report focuses on one community affected by Operation Murambatsvina. The informal settlement of Porta Farm was established 15 years ago following a series of forced evictions in Harare. While the experiences of the people of Porta Farm are similar in many respects to other communities affected by Operation Murambatsvina, the residents of Porta Farm have faced several previous attempts by local and national authorities to forcibly evict them and have fought to secure their right to housing, including through looking to the courts for protection. In separate rulings on planned evictions at Porta Farm in 1995 and again in 2004 the High Court of Zimbabwe clearly stated that the people of Porta Farm should not be evicted unless and until the authorities ensured the provision of suitable alternative accommodation. The case of Porta Farm highlights the government of Zimbabwe’s increasing willingness to subvert the authority of the courts. This erosion of the rule of law has seriously undermined the role of the legal system in protecting human rights in Zimbabwe, leaving victims of violations with little choice but to seek justice at the international level. 1.1 About this report This report has been jointly produced by Amnesty International and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR). ZLHR is a membership organisation consisting of over 170 legal practitioners and law students across Zimbabwe. It is a non-partisan organisation whose main objective is to foster a culture of the respect of human dignity and rights in Zimbabwe through litigation, training, research, lobbying and advocacy. Further information can be found on ZLHR’s website at: www.zlhr.org.zw. ZLHR has worked with the community of Porta Farm since mid2004, assisting the community in their legal battle to retain their homes and uphold their human rights. Amnesty International has monitored, investigated and reported on the case of Porta Farm since attempted evictions in September 2004. 6 Information in this report is largely based on court records and other legal documents held by ZLHR and on interviews conducted by ZLHR and Amnesty International over the 18 months from mid-2004 to March 2006. See: Amnesty International, “Zimbabwe: Ten dead following police misuse of tear gas”, AI Index: AFR 46/027/20, 22 September 2004; “Zimbabwe: Another death at Porta Farm - 11 people now dead following police misuse of tear gas”, AI Index: AFR 46/028/2004; Amnesty International Annual Report 2005; Urgent Action, Zimbabwe: Fear for safety/ Excessive use of force, AI Index: AFR 46/011/2005, 1 June 2005. Amnesty International researchers interviewed members of the Porta Farm community in September 2004 and members of the Porta Farm residents’ committee again in February, August and December 2005. 6