Human Rights Forum Report: Who was responsible? The Electoral Act, Section 105, Part 20 states that “any person who chooses to use violence or any means of force to induce or compel another to advance his/her political interest shall be guilty of undue influence”. Nevertheless, Zanu (PF) has appeared to use this tactic to secure the electorate‟s vote unimpeded. Zanu (PF) Secretary for Information and Publicity, Nathan Shamuyarira later said,” The area of violence is an area where ZANU (PF) has a very strong, long and successful history”. (The Herald, 2 October 2000.) War veterans seemed to be the primary tool used by Zanu (PF) to implement the “campaign by violence” strategy. There was a general fear of the war veterans and their capacity to instigate violence. They seemed to move from constituency to constituency in an organized and calculated manner. The President and Zanu (PF) leadership clearly supported the activities of these war veterans. In a speech in Bindura shown on ZTV on 8 April, President Mugabe said: “We were told to arrest them (war veterans) and remove them from farms. We refused because the occupations are justified. We said there would be no policemen who will go there. If the British want police to evict the war veterans then they must send their police.” The war veterans placed themselves on 1,500 commercial farms around the country, which were utilized as springboards to implement an effective campaign of organized violence. It also allowed the war veterans to control the thousands of farm workers that were part of the rural electorate, which Zanu (PF) saw as its lifeline to staying in power. Recommendations The culture of impunity in Zimbabwe has seriously damaged the rule of law. The legal process has been undermined by the selective application of the law by law enforcement institutions. These institutions function effectively only for the ruling party, rather than operating impartially for all citizens. It is imperative that the 6 October Amnesty be revoked and an independent commission be appointed to investigate all allegations of torture and other human rights violations and make its own recommendations. The findings of the commission should be used to prosecute those accused of any political crimes stemming from the June 2000 parliamentary elections to restore faith in the rule of law. In addition, it is clear that the haphazard application of the law last year is already having a negative effect on the prospect of free and fair elections in Zimbabwe. Parliamentary by-elections, mayoral elections and local elections have been consistently marred by violence. It is imperative that the government scrap a proposal to limit voter education only to the government-run Electoral Supervisory Commission. It is also crucial that they invite all willing election monitors, whether domestic or international, to observe the election process both on the voting days and in the crucial run-up period which has traditionally seen the vast majority of violence and intimidation. Statistics of violence Political affiliation of the victims The political affiliation of the victims supports the claim that those targeted were members of opposition parties and non-politically connected persons throughout the country. Violence, on the part of the ruling party, appears to have been carried out on an “if you are not for us, you are against us” mentality. If a person‟s political affiliation was unclear, it was assumed that they supported the opposition. Office holders and supporters of parties in opposition to Zanu (PF) were the primary targets of political violence, in particular those belonging, or suspected of belonging, to the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). In comparison, very few Zanu (PF) members were victims of violence. 3