14 arranged for their release around midnight and told them not to venture to occupied farms again. Sikelo sustained severely swollen buttocks from his torture. During testimony he provided in the Makoni East election petition, Pishai Muchauraya describes meetings that the police called in this constituency to try to mitigate the violence. The result, as Muchauraya describes, was that it only made the situation worse: After the violence became more frequent, the police held meetings with both MDC and Zanu (PF) supporters in an effort to curb the violence, and urge the parties to campaign in peace. One of the Zanu (PF) leaders at the meeting, Mutasa, said, “You MDC boys take the police as your mother – if you’re struck with an open hand you go to the police….If you wear an MDC t-shirt, I’ll call my scorpions and they will bite you.” The police did not react to these statements. At a subsequent meeting hosted by the police, the officer in charge told MDC members, ‘You’ve already started violence – aren’t you MDC people ashamed? Go away. If you are assaulted, don’t rush here.’ At another meeting, when the MDC brought up the murder of Chiminya, Zanu (PF) members became angry, saying that it ‘was an offense to say the Zanu (PF) had killed your member,’ and ‘why are you doing push-ups in front of war veterans? We will assault you until you tire of it.’ Muchauraya testified that these meetings called by the police did nothing but fuel the violence. It gave Zanu (PF) supporters the opportunity to identify MDC members who had reported them to the police. Zanu (PF) Parliamentary Candidates Witnesses testified in nine election petitions that Zanu (PF) Parliamentary candidates were directly involved in the perpetration of crimes to influence the election in their constituencies. Witnesses testified that Zanu (PF) candidates carried out crimes of violence, made threats, committed bribery, or interfered with the electoral process. These are summarised below. Chinhoyi – Philip Chiyangwa Witnesses allege that Chiyangwa threatened commercial farmers who were holding MDC meetings on their property. Allegedly he threatened these farmers and told them they would be targeted if they continued to aid the MDC. It is pertinent here to comment that Mr Chiyangwa was caught on camera by Channel 4 in 2001 making flagrantly violent remarks to his supporters. Chiredzi North – Eliot Chauke A witness, affiliated with the Support Group, who funds the MDC, testified that war veterans harassed and threatened him and his business on four or five separate occasions. At Sava supermarket, witness said that the Zanu (PF) MP, Chauke, parked his white car and began singing songs of how Zanu (PF) was formed through bloodshed. Chauke then summoned the witness and told him that his head would be cut off, put on a stick and paraded around town as a warning to all those who support the MDC. After having managed to escape and hide at his mother-in-law’s home, Chauke allegedly arrived at the house and told his mother-in-law of witness’ planned decapitation. Makoni West – the late Moven Mahachi, Minister of Defense B.attended a Zanu (PF) rally on 3 June at which the minister spoke. Villagers were forced to attend after being threatened with beheading and assault. At the rally, a Zanu (PF) supporter said he knew who members of the MDC were and held up a large book that he said contained MDC members’ names. He called three names, including B.’s. He ordered everyone who was an MDC member to stand, if they wanted to remain alive. They all moved to the centre of the enclosure and the Minister said, “Down with Makuwaza, down with Chiminya, and down with Tsvangirai.” Everyone who had stood had his or her name written down. Minister Mahachi told the group that they were feigning surrender, and that the country was freed by blood, and blood would come again if people voted for the MDC. He said that there would be a box in the voting booth to detect whom people voted for. If people did not take this seriously, they would be killed AMANI Trust: Organised Violence and Torture in the June 2000 General Election in Zimbabwe