had sought refuge.105 Police arrested all the occupants and detained them at several police stations in Harare. The government’s stated aim was to arrest persons suspected of committing acts of assault and arson around the country.106 Yet, among those detained were elderly people, young children accompanying their arrested mothers and mothers who had suckling babies and toddlers. When Evelyn Masaiti, MDC member of parliament for Dzivarasekwa, went to Harare Central Police to find out about the arrested mothers and babies, she too was arrested.107 A lawyer representing the MDC supporters told Human Rights Watch: Here we have a case where victims are being punished for being victims, a true case of double jeopardy. They escape from the wrath of marauding war veterans and ZANU-PF militia only to fall into the wrath of rampaging armed policemen.108 Police Response to Court Rulings As noted earlier in this report, police refused to enforce a series of court orders handed down by the High Court and Supreme Court declaring farm invasions illegal and directing police to remove the occupiers.109 On June 22, 2008, police defied a High Court order and banned an MDC presidential campaign rally in Harare from taking place. Police officers beat MDC supporters who had turned up for the rally. The MDC was forced to cancel the rally, one of many incidents contributing to its decision to pull out of the presidential run-off election.110 On the same occasion, police watched as ZANU-PF supporters went on a rampage, beating MDC supporters 105 “Zimbabwe: Surge in State-Sponsored Violence,” Human Rights Watch news release, April 25, 2008, http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2008/04/25/zimbab18653.htm. 106 Evelyn Masaiti and others vs. Minister of Home Affairs and others (HC 2381/2008). 107 Ibid. 108 Human Rights Watch interview with Jeremiah Bamu, MDC lawyer, Harare, August 27, 2008. 109 See section on the judiciary above. 110 Human Rights Watch interview with an MDC official Harare, June 22, 2008. 33 Human Rights Watch November 2008