Public statements by members of the military have had a severe chilling effect on the independent media and civil society groups, encouraging self-censorship. On September 14 and 15, 2009, three high-ranking military officers were reported in the Zimbabwe government-controlled media (the daily paper, The Herald, and Zimbabwe Television, ZTV) suggesting that local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and independent media were involved in anti-government activities, accusations that could have put them at risk of physical attack. Three officers—Army Commander Lt.-Gen. Philip Sibanda, commander of 2 Brigade; Brig.-Gen. Douglas Nyikayaramba; and Army Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Martin Chedondo—made a general accusation that the independent media were waging an “asymmetric type of war” by subjecting the army to “various forms of subversive materials to weaken and divert their loyalty and dedication in serving the country.”41 Maj.-Gen. Chedondo further stated that “the Zimbabwe National Army is highly trained and we will not sit by and watch them [NGOs and independent media] threaten our hard-won peace and independence.”42 A senior manager with a local civil society organization told Human Rights Watch: Owing to threats from the military, NGOs now tread cautiously where the army is involved. For instance, in November 2009 there were credible reports of horrific torture of a group of soldiers accused of stealing firearms at Pomona Army Barracks. This case has not been followed up because no one dares enter army barracks to investigate.43 41 “Army threatens media,” Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe Weekly Updates, September 14-20, 2009. 42 Ibid. 43 Human Rights Watch interview with NGO official, H.H., Harare, February 14, 2010. 15 Human Rights Watch | April 2010