VI. Political Violence and Intimidation in 2007 and 2008 The history of violence and intimidation during Zimbabwe’s previous elections does not bode well for these elections. Of particular concern is the impunity that perpetrators of past violence enjoy, in particular those from the ruling party. The increasing involvement of the police and officers from the Central Intelligence Organization (CIO) in incidents of violence and intimidation in the past three years, and the lack of punishment for those officers involved in such violence, have eroded the public’s trust in the police force. In the run up to the March 2008 elections, the government and senior police officers have publicly sought to assure voters that they will take a “zero tolerance” approach to violence.27 But with perpetrators of past violence continuing to operate around the country,28 it is difficult to see how Zimbabweans can openly display their support for the opposition, especially in the countryside. While conducting our research in September 2007 and February 2008, in the areas that we visited Human Rights Watch was informed of 12 incidents of intimidation and violence, mainly perpetrated by ZANU-PF supporters and security agents. In spite of the new provisions in the Electoral Laws Amendment Act explicitly banning intimidation and violence, which came into force in January, three of the incidents of violence took place after the amendments. Local organizations such as the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum and the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) reported a far higher number of such incidents during the period from September 2007 to February 2008.29 27 “ Police ban dangerous weapons,” The Herald (Harare), February 20, 2008; “Blitz on political violence nets 13,” The Herald, February 21, 2008. See also comments by Minister of Information and Publicity Sikhanyiso Ndlovu in “UK, US regime change agenda doomed: Ndlovu,” The Herald, February 22, 2008. 28 Zimbabwe’s long history of impunity for perpetrators of violence and torture is well documented by Human Rights Watch and by organizations such as Redress and Amnesty International. See, for example, Redress and the Amani Trust, “Torture in Zimbabwe, Past and Present,” June 2005, http://www.redress.org/publications/Amani2005.pdf (accessed March 11, 2008); Redress, “Zimbabwe: From Impunity to Accountability: Are Reparations Possible for Victims of Gross and Systematic Human Rights Violations?” March 2004, http://www.redress.org/publications/Beyond%20impunityA5.pdf (accessed March 11, 2008), p. 29; and Amnesty International, “The Toll of Impunity.” 29 Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum monthly violence reports, http://www.hrforumzim.com (accessed February 28, 2008); and Zimbabwe Peace Project Monthly Monitoring Reports, on file with Human Rights Watch. All Over Again 16