ZESN commends the police for moving into the village on Monday even though such an intervention would have been more effective had it been timely. While such efforts by the police are commendable, the fact that perpetrators of such levels of violence and looting of property are yet to be arrested and brought before the law when there are witnesses who can identify their assailants leaves a lot to be desired. 58 The police have in some instances continued with their long established pattern of arresting, charging and denouncing the innocent. 59 Over 200 displaced victims of abuses including women and children who had sought shelter at the MDC headquarters in Harare, were in late April arrested and accused of being responsible for burning down homesteads in rural areas. This was in the wake of the retributive burning of eight homesteads allegedly by MDC supporters, but there was no evidence linking any of those arrested to these burnings, as their eventual release confirmed. However, it meant that people already tortured, homeless and traumatised were further abused by the very people who should have been making efforts to arrest their persecutors. On 10 May, the MDC MP for Mutasa Central was arrested when he went to report the abduction of a youth member. Another MDC MP, in Masvingo was arrested on 13 May for unclear reasons. Yet retired Major Mandhu, the ZANU PF MP allegedly responsible for the massacre in Mazowe, remains at large. B. Perpetrators 1. The role of the Joint Operational Command In accordance with the master plan constructed in April and currently being implemented, the “election campaign”, is being directed by senior members of Joint Operational Command (JOC), which consists of the ZNA, the ZRP, the CIO and the prisons service. JOC is also responsible for the instigation, and often the carrying out, of the violence nationwide. They are in charge of and directing a large fluid force of informal agents, consisting of ZANU PF youth/ militia, 60 war veterans, and ZANU PF structures and supporters at local level. This strategy is apparent nationwide, including in areas where violence is not currently epidemic. 61 Countless interviews and the current database testify to this. Without exception, victims treated by our members have identified the perpetrators either as war veterans, armed security force members or ZANU PF youth militia or varying combinations of the three. 62 As the chart following shows, JOC has been implicated in 56% of post election violations. • The army was reported as being involved in 188 out of 618 cases – 28% • The police force, including riot and plain clothes force, were reported in 130 or 21% of cases • CID and CIO were involved in 2% (10) and 3% (18) of cases respectively What is remarkable is the dominant role being played by the army in particular in the committing of violations. The army has issued an official statement denying any involvement in abuses, but this is clearly disingenuous. This is also a shocking development – at no time in the last eight years have army 58 ZESN, 14 May 2008. See SPT, “Destructive Engagement”, 2007 and “Policing the State”, 2006 for detailed accounts of police behaviour. 60 Youth militia can be in uniform – the notorious green bombers – or can be less clearly identified groups of young men who may have had youth militia training at some point. 61 Matabeleland is dealt with separately ahead, as a region that so far has little violence but high levels of extremely well organised intimidation. 62 ZADHR, 8 May 2008. 59 28