13 Erica Nyaunde, a witness in the Makoni East election petition, decribes her experience in an example of police intimidation: She was awakened in the middle of the night by a policeman and asked if she was leading MDC youth. He then accused her of being a ‘child of white people’ for supporting the MDC and then urinated in her room. She reported the incident to the municipality but was told it would be better if she left her home for her safety. Later on, her home was set on fire and she sustained at least Z$100,000 damage to the contents of the house alone. She stated that three men were arrested for the crime but were released within 24 hours. John, a witness in the Chiredzi South election petition, gave testimony of two incidents in which the police were involved: one in which he was threatened and one in which he was detained and beaten by a Sergeant of the ZRP: Sergeant Verengera summoned John, the branch-organizing secretary for the MDC, in June. John was asked why he had not yet registered to vote. He was ordered to remove his MDC tshirt and forced to register. John was told that support for the MDC was wrong and was shown Verengera’s pistol. Verengera then ordered John to participate in Zanu (PF) meetings from then on. John was later approached by CIO members Chiyangwa, Chale, and Mutisi and ordered to enter their vehicle. John was abducted, assaulted and detained in a cell for five days at Chikombedzi Police Station. In an interrogation led by Sergeant Verengera, John was unable to reveal the whereabouts of MDC candidate Patrick Tsumele and was assaulted with meter-long sticks and a chain while his hands and legs were bound. When the officer-in-charge arrived, John was untied and returned to his cell. John was taken to the Magistrate’s Court in Masvingo where he was denied bail and remanded to prison for four more days. He was finally granted bail and released a day before voting was to begin. During MDC meetings or rallies, Zanu (PF) supporters would often arrive and subsequently threaten or beat the MDC supporters present. The ZRP, who often demanded to know the date and time of meetings so that they could be present to stem or prevent violence, often stood aside and took no action as violence erupted. On 7 April, a meeting was held at a business center in Makoni East with about 1,500 people in attendance. Zanu (PF) supporters were hiding behind the buildings, because as soon as the meeting began, they emerged and began to sing Zanu (PF) songs. Other Zanu (PF) supporters had placed themselves strategically in the crowd and were also singing; some of them had switches. The songs denounced the MDC, Tsvangirai, and Mudzengerere. Chipanga was there, and also several police vehicles. Mudzengerere told Pishai, his Chairman, to close the meeting because he was afraid of an eruption of violence. Whilst this occurred, the police did nothing, only stood by their vehicles and watched. Other instances described members of the ZRP seemingly only half-heatedly carrying out their duties or being ineffective. In the following testimony, it could be said that the police themselves were afraid to carry out their duties, resulting in the victimization of this witness. Witness Peter Sikelo testified in the Goromonzi election petition that he was handcuffed and assaulted in the presence of police officers at Atlanta Farm in May 2000. Sikelo said that he was in the company of an MDC supporter, Pondai Marengu, when a South African journalist approached them and asked for directions to an area where he was covering farm invasions. The three men reached Atlanta Farm but were soon approached by members of a ‘war veteran’ militia and Zanu (PF) supporters. Sikelo and Marengu were assaulted for ‘selling out to the white man’. The assailants told them that they shouldn’t have brought the journalist to the farm. Sikelo testified that the officer-in-charge of the Juru police came to the farm three times but did not rescue the men. “He told us that he could not assist us because the war veterans were the rulers of the country and had the right to do what they wanted”, Sikelo said. The officer-in-charge finally AMANI Trust: Organised Violence and Torture in the June 2000 General Election in Zimbabwe