[Mugabe will wipe out his political opposition. Jan]

From Zim Online (SA), 24 August

IPU confirms systematic harassment of the political opposition

Harare – The International Parliamentary Union (IPU) says the government of Zimbabwe has done little to stop youth militias linked to the ruling Zanu PF party from persecuting and torturing parliamentarians of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). In a preliminary report following a three-months mission to Zimbabwe, the Geneva-based IPU said it had gathered enough evidence to confirm “systematic harassment of the political opposition” in the country. The IPU said while there appeared to be an official understanding of the role of political opposition, government institutions such as the police and state-owned media tended to adopt a negative view of the MDC. (They) “tend to disparage the MDC and its members with all the consequences that attend such a negative and practical perception of a political party by the authorities. The MPs were either victims of fabricated charges, illegal detentions, ill treatment, including cases of torture as well as being victims of violent attacks generally led by youths groups linked to the ruling party without authorities taking action to identify and prosecute the attackers”, the report says. Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa, who met the IPU in Mexico City on April 24, could not be reached for comment. The IPU mission, which visited Zimbabwe from March 28 to April 2, also met Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi, police authorities and MDC parliamentarians. The mission was undertaken following several reports of the harassment and attacks on opposition MPs. The MDC says in the last four years 24 of its parliamentarians have been arrested or harassed by security agents or Zanu PF militants. Besides Zimbabwe the IPU also investigated the ill treatment of opposition parliamentarians in Malaysia, Burundi, Rwanda, Colombia and Turkey.