1. Putting the Zimbabwe Transitional Justice Discourse into Perspective Background The Forum has been in existence since January 1998. It was established by a number of non-governmental organisations working in the field of human rights, in response to what has now been called the “Food Riots” of January 1998. The Forum currently has sixteen (16) member organisations working in the areas of women's rights; civil and political rights; economic, social and cultural rights; freedom of expression and the media; gay and lesbian rights; prisoner's rights; anti-corruption; good governance; and peace building and non-violent ways of conflict resolution. The mission of the Forum is to reduce organised violence and torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, to challenge impunity and to foster a culture and the building of institutions of non-violence, tolerance and respect for human rights in Zimbabwe. Its vision is a Zimbabwe that respects all human rights, free of organised violence and torture and cruel inhuman and degrading treatment. To this end the Forum has been working with victims of organised violence and torture with the view of bringing about redress and documenting the violations that would have been suffered by the victims. Confronting the transitional justice question in Zimbabwe Transitional Justice – or, the pursuit of comprehensive justice during times of political transition – has come to refer to the development, analysis and practical application of a wide variety of strategies for confronting the legacy of past human rights abuses in order to create a more just and democratic future. In theory and in practice, the central objectives of a transitional justice approach are to confront legacies of abuse in a broad and holistic manner that encompasses criminal justice, restorative justice, social justice and economic justice. This approach is premised on a belief that a responsible justice policy must include measures that seek to achieve both accountability for past crimes and the prevention of new crimes. In addition, it requires taking into account the collective character of the various forms of victimisation, as well as the transitional character of certain human rights crimes. 4