Summary On July 21, 2008 President Robert Mugabe, leader of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union–Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), and Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Zimbabwe’s capital Harare, paving the way for talks to resolve the country’s political impasse. President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, appointed by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to help address Zimbabwe’s ongoing political crisis, is facilitating the talks between the two political parties. Mbeki is expected to brief SADC leaders on the progress of the talks at the annual SADC summit in Sandton, South Africa on August 16 and 17. The summit provides SADC leaders with an opportunity to effectively press Zimbabwe’s leadership to address crucial human rights issues prior to any transitional government arising from the current negotiations. Human Rights Watch believes that no durable solution to the political crisis in Zimbabwe can be found unless the human rights violations that are at the root cause of the crisis are addressed. The government of Zimbabwe and its proxy forces of youth militia1 and “war veterans”2 have committed and continue to commit serious crimes in the context of general elections that took place on March 29, 2008, and the presidential runoff of June 27. This report follows Human Rights Watch’s June 9 report, “Bullets for Each of You”: State-Sponsored Violence since Zimbabwe’s March 29 Elections, which gave a comprehensive account of government-sponsored abuses that took place in the aftermath of the March 29 general elections. This report is based on eyewitness accounts from newly elected MDC Members of Parliament (MPs), councilors, activists, perceived MDC supporters and others to demonstrate the serious nature of abuses committed by ZANU-PF supporters and government-backed youth militia and “war 1 The youth militia, also known in Zimbabwe as “green bombers” because they often wear olive green military fatigues, are part of a government-run National Youth Service Program. According to the government, the program is aimed at training youths to be good citizens and to take part in community services initiatives. 2 Many of the “war veterans” implicated in recent abuses are believed to be individuals hired by the government to commit abuses under the guise of “war veterans.” Many are too young to be genuine war veterans or have fought during Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle in the 1970s. However, Human Rights Watch’s evidence indicates that these fake “war veterans” are being led by genuine war veterans who fought during the liberation struggle. 1 Human Rights Watch August 2008