ZIMBABWE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service 19 August 2011 ZIMBABWE 19 AUGUST 2011 Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN ZIMBABWE FROM 13 JULY 2011 TO 19 AUGUST 2011 Useful news sources for further information REPORTS ON ZIMBABWE PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED BETWEEN 13 JULY 2011 AND 19 AUGUST 2011 Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY............................................................................................................... 1.01 Public holidays ....................................................................................................... 1.06 Map........................................................................................................................... 1.07 2. ECONOMY .................................................................................................................. 2.01 Remittances ............................................................................................................ 2.05 Military involvement in the economy .................................................................. 2.07 Sanctions ................................................................................................................ 2.08 3. HISTORY (19TH CENTURY TO 2010) .............................................................................. 3.01 Matabeleland massacres 1983 - 87....................................................................... 3.03 ZANU-PF win 1990s elections............................................................................... 3.06 Land reform and War Veterans: 1990-97 ............................................................. 3.07 Economic crisis, referendum and national elections: 1998 – 2000 .................. 3.08 Land invasions, elections and Operation Murambastvina: 2000 to 2005 ........ 3.13 Build-up to 2008 national elections...................................................................... 3.20 Parliamentary elections: March 2008 ................................................................... 3.23 Presidential elections: March – June 2008.......................................................... 3.27 Global Political Agreement and formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU): September 2008 – February 2009............................... 3.29 MDC disengages from the GNU............................................................................ 3.32 Mr Tsvangirai calls off MDC boycott of GNU....................................................... 3.34 GNU reaches an impasse – early 2010................................................................. 3.36 Revision of the constitution and the Constitutional Outreach Programme (April 2009 to September 2010)................................................................................... 3.37 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS (22 FEBRUARY 2011 – 12 JULY 2011).................................. 4.01 Southern African Development Community applies pressure on ZANU-PF ... 4.01 Government of National Unity............................................................................... 4.05 Possible timing of national elections.................................................................... 4.07 Military backing for ZANU-PF............................................................................... 4.10 Mugabe’s health ..................................................................................................... 4.11 ZANU-PF: the battle for a successor to Mr Mugabe............................................ 4.15 Roy Bennet loses his Senate seat........................................................................ 4.16 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 12 July 2011. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 18 August 2011. 19 AUGUST 2011 ZIMBABWE Human Rights 7. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................ 7.01 8. SECURITY FORCES ...................................................................................................... 8.01 Police ....................................................................................................................... 8.06 Armed forces .......................................................................................................... 8.15 Central Intelligence Organisation......................................................................... 8.18 Other government forces and pro-ZANU-PF groups.......................................... 8.26 National Youth Service (aka ZANU-PF youth militia) .......................................... 8.26 War veterans........................................................................................................ 8.34 Human rights violations by security forces and pro-ZANU-PF groups ........... 8.36 Impunity................................................................................................................ 3.37 Arbitrary arrest and detention .............................................................................. 8.42 Torture, ill-treatment, harassment and use of excessive force............................ 8.47 Extra-judicial killings............................................................................................. 8.61 Disappearance and abductions ........................................................................... 8.64 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 .............................................................................................. 12.07 13. DEATH PENALTY ......................................................................................................... 13.01 14. POLITICAL AFFILIATION ............................................................................................... 14.01 Freedom of political expression ........................................................................... 14.04 Constitutional Outreach Programme.................................................................... 14.10 Freedom of association and assembly ................................................................ 14.14 Opposition groups and political activists............................................................ 14.25 Teachers .............................................................................................................. 14.27 Politically motivated human rights violations..................................................... 14.35 Numbers of incidents: 2008 – 2011 ..................................................................... 14.36 Perpetrators of political motivated human rights violations ................................. 14.45 Human rights violations committed by MDC supporters...................................... 14.49 ZANU-PF preparation for elections...................................................................... 14.53 Distribution of politically motivated human rights violations in 2010-11 ........ 14.60 Demography......................................................................................................... 14.61 National overview of human rights violations in 2010-11 .................................... 14.62 Human rights violations by province (1 January to 12 July 2011) ....................... 14.74 Bulawayo.......................................................................................................... 14.76 Harare .............................................................................................................. 14.81 Manicaland....................................................................................................... 14.93 Mashonaland Central....................................................................................... 14.102 Mashonaland East ........................................................................................... 14.111 Matabeleland North.........................................................................................