ZIMBABWE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service 13 July 2012 ZIMBABWE 13 JULY 2012 Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN ZIMBABWE FROM 7 JUNE 2012 TO 13 JULY 2012 Useful news sources for further information REPORTS ON ZIMBABWE PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED BETWEEN 7 JUNE AND 13 JULY 2012 Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 1.01 Public holidays ..................................................................................................... 1.06 Map ........................................................................................................................ 1.07 2. ECONOMY ................................................................................................................ 2.01 Remittances .......................................................................................................... 2.12 Military involvement in the economy ................................................................. 2.17 Sanctions .............................................................................................................. 2.18 3. HISTORY (19TH CENTURY TO 2010) ............................................................................. 3.01 Matabeleland massacres 1983 - 87 (aka ‘Gurkurahundi’) ................................. 3.03 ZANU-PF win 1990s elections ............................................................................. 3.07 Land reform and War Veterans: 1990-97 ............................................................ 3.08 Economic crisis, referendum and national elections: 1998 – 2000 .................. 3.09 Land invasions, elections and Operation Murambastvina: 2000 to 2005 ........ 3.14 Build-up to 2008 national elections .................................................................... 3.21 Parliamentary elections: March 2008 .................................................................. 3.24 Presidential elections: March – June 2008 ......................................................... 3.28 Global Political Agreement and formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU): September 2008 – February 2009 .............................. 3.30 MDC disengages from the GNU .......................................................................... 3.33 Mr Tsvangirai calls off MDC boycott of GNU ..................................................... 3.35 GNU reaches an impasse – early 2010 ............................................................... 3.37 Revision of the constitution and the Constitutional Outreach Programme (April 2009 to September 2010) ................................................................................. 3.38 The GNU polarises; the Southern African Development Community applies pressure (between early and mid 2011) .... 3.43 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS (12 JULY 2011 – 1 JUNE 2012) ........................................... 4.01 Election timetable ................................................................................................. 4.01 Constitution ........................................................................................................ 4.07 Mugabe’s health ................................................................................................... 4.11 ZANU-PF: the battle for a successor to Mr Mugabe .......................................... 4.15 Solomon Mujuru‘s death ..................................................................................... 4.17 5. CONSTITUTION .......................................................................................................... 5.01 6. POLITICAL SYSTEM ................................................................................................... 6.01 Executive branch .................................................................................................. 6.03 Legislative branch ................................................................................................ 6.04 Political parties ..................................................................................................... 6.05 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 6 June 2012. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 13 July 2012. 13 JULY 2012 ZIMBABWE Human Rights 7. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 7.01 8. SECURITY FORCES .................................................................................................... 8.01 Police ..................................................................................................................... 8.06 Corruption .......................................................................................................... 8.09 Politicisation of the police ................................................................................... 8.13 Armed forces ........................................................................................................ 8.23 Central Intelligence Organisation ....................................................................... 8.26 Other government forces and pro-ZANU-PF groups ......................................... 8.31 National Youth Service ....................................................................................... 8.32 ZANU-PF youth militia ........................................................................................ 8.38 War veterans ...................................................................................................... 8.41 Human rights violations by security forces and pro-ZANU-PF groups ........... 8.43 Impunity .............................................................................................................. 8.46 Arbitrary arrest and detention ............................................................................. 8.51 Torture, ill-treatment, harassment and use of excessive force ........................... 8.55 Extra-judicial killings ........................................................................................... 8.66 Disappearance and abductions .......................................................................... 8.68 9. MILITARY SERVICE .................................................................................................... 9.01 10. JUDICIARY ................................................................................................................ 10.01 Organisation ......................................................................................................... 10.02 Independence and fair trial .................................................................................. 10.04 Penal code ............................................................................................................ 10.12 11. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS .................................................................. 11.01 12. PRISON CONDITIONS ................................................................................................. 12.01 Women and children ............................................................................................ 12.09 13. DEATH PENALTY ....................................................................................................... 13.01 14. POLITICAL AFFILIATION ............................................................................................. 14.01 Freedom of political expression .......................................................................... 14.05 Constitutional Outreach Programme .................................................................. 14.12 Freedom of association and assembly ............................................................... 14.16 Opposition groups and (perceived) political activists ...................................... 14.23 Movement for Democratic Change ..................................................................... 14.23 Teachers ............................................................................................................ 14.25 Students ............................................................................................................. 14.35 Trade unions ...................................................................................................... 14.37 Politically motivated human rights violations ................................................... 14.41 Limitations of quantitative data ........................................................................... 14.42 Numbers of incidents: 2008 – April 2012 ............................................................ 14.45 Perpetrators of political motivated human rights violations ................................. 14.58 Human rights violations committed by MDC supporters ..................................... 14.66 ZANU-PF calls for elections and associated violence ........................................ 14.68 Distribution of politically motivated human rights violations (2011 to April 2012) ............................................................................................................. 14.76 Demography ....................................................................................................... 14.77 National overview of human rights violations in 2011 and 2012 ......................... 14.78 Human rights violations