44 There were once again a large number of reports issued on the human rights violations that took place during the Presidential Election, both from Zimbabwean NGOs and international bodies, including election observation missions. In general, there was uniformity between all these reports, and it is clear that much of the organised violence and torture during the latter part of 2001 and the early part of 2002 was related to elections. It is relevant here to point out that the results of the Presidential Election were rejected by most authoritative observer groups, and resulted, for example, in Zimbabwe being suspended from the Commonwealth. Recent Organised Violence and Torture Organised violence and torture has not ceased since the Presidential Election. This has been manifest during all the by-elections that have taken place subsequently, as well as at times of public dissent, such as the stay-aways during 2003. One of the most disturbing features of the violence since 2002 has been the association of the violence with the “youth militia”82. Several reports have outlined the increasing role that the youth militia have played in the current violence, as well as showing the association between these youth militia and wellknown techniques of torture. However, one of the most interesting features of the current violence has been the move away from gross human rights violations, such as summary executions and torture, to violations of the freedoms of expression and association based around the use of the Public Order and Security Act83. This is not to assert that gross human rights violations have ceased, for the reports from human rights groups in Zimbabwe indicate that there were 497 cases of torture in 2003 out of a total of over 3000 cases84. With a Parliamentary Election expected in March 2004, it can be predicted that gross human rights violations will be reported with greater frequency in the coming months. The Johannesburg Symposium: With this background before them, a large number of the leading civic activists and leaders from Zimbabwe met in August 2003 to consider the problems of gross human rights in Zimbabwe85. This ground-breaking symposium, probably the first such a comprehensive meeting held to consider human rights violations in toto, achieved a remarkable consensus on the way forward in dealing with the problems of impunity and accountability. The findings from the Johannesburg Symposium were unequivocal: · 82 83 84 85 All available evidence indicates that the Government has engaged in a widespread, systematic, and planned campaign of organised violence and torture to suppress normal democratic activities, and unlawfully to influence the electoral process; See Reeler, A.P (2004), Militarised Youth in Zimbabwe, Paper presented to the 2nd National Conference on Victim Empowerment, “Ten Years of Democracy: From Victims’ Needs to Victims’ Rights?” 31 August to 2 September 2004, ICC, Durban, Themba LeSizwe; see also Reeler, A. P(2003), The role of militia groups in maintaining ZanuPF’s political power [www.zwnews.com]; and also Solidarity Peace Trust (2003), National youth service training. “ shaping youths in a truly Zimbabwean manner”.An overview of youth militia training and activities in Zimbabwe, October 2000 – August 2003, SOUTH AFRICA & ZIMBABWE: SOLIARITY PEACE TRUST. See Solidarity Peace Trust (2004), “Disturbing the Peace”. An Overview of civilian arrests in Zimbabwe: February 2002 – January 2004, SOUTH AFRICA & ZIMBABWE: SOLIDARITY PEACE TRUST. See again REDRESS (2004), Zimbabwe: Tortuous Patterns Destined To Repeat Themselves in Upcoming Election Campaign. Preliminary Study of Trends and Associations in the Pattern of Torture and Organised Violence in Zimbabwe, July 2001 – December 2003, LONDON: REDRESS TRUST. See Temba LeSizwe (2003), Civil Society and Justice in Zimbabwe, The Proceedings of a Symposium held in Johannesburg, 11-13 August 2003, PRETORIA: THEMBA LESIZWE. IDASA: Zimbabwe at the Cross-Roads: Views of Zimbabwean citizens on democracy and transitional justice.