days in custody, l was freed by the magistrate and now l fear for my life, and for the safety of my family.102 On May 7, 2008, the Herald newspaper reported that five presiding officers (all teachers) who took part in the March 29 general elections in Chiredzi in Masvingo province were found guilty of fraud and were told to pay fines or face jail terms of between three and 16 months.103 On April 25, eight Criminal Investigation Department (CID) police officers raided the offices of the Zimbabwe Elections Support Network (ZESN), the only nationwide independent election monitoring organization, which had compiled its own data on the disputed March 29 elections. Police officers searched the premises and confiscated files and other sensitive information. They interrogated ZESN’s program manager, Tsungai Kokerai, for seven hours.104 On May 14, ZESN released a statement expressing concern about attacks on its election observers in Mt. Darwin, Mashonaland West by suspected ZANU-PF supporters who accused them of facilitating an MDC victory on March 29. At least 18 election observers from this area were forced to flee to Harare with their families, where they were in need of assistance. ZESN also reported that one of its observers died after being beaten by suspected ZANU-PF supporters in Mt Darwin East.105 On May 23, 2008, ZESN reported that two days earlier ZANU-PF youth severely beat and tortured three of its observers in Mt Darwin East, Mashonaland West.106 The two men and an elderly woman suffered fractured arms, fractured fingers, deep cuts and bruises from severe beatings. Arrests of Journalists, Lawyers and Civil Society Activists Arbitrary arrests and intimidation of civil society activists, human rights defenders and journalists have intensified since the March 29 elections. 102 Human Rights Watch interview with presiding officer, Harare, May 16, 2008. 103 “Five Teachers Fined,” The Herald newspaper, May 7, 2008. 104 “Zimbabwe surge in state-sponsored violence: security forces raid opposition headquarters,” Human Rights Watch news release, April 25, 2008, http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/04/25/zimbab18653.htm. 105 “ZESN observers flee homes as violence escalates – Mt Darwin East,” ZESN statement, May 14, 2008. 106 “ZESN continues to receive distressing reports on observer attacks,” ZESN statement, May 23, 2008. “Bullets for Each of You” 52