Activists Pursuing Justice for Zimbabwe Rape Victims; Power-Sharing May be in Trouble

By Ted Townsend
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

HARARE, Zimbabwe - According to a spokesman for the Movement of Democratic Change (“MDC”), the long-awaited power-sharing deal may be on the verge of collapse, and a new wave of violence orchestrated by Robert Mugabe may be in the works.  The sticking point in the talks continues to be control of the ministries, especially the home affairs ministry, which controls the police.

Meanwhile, reports have intensified describing many incidents of rape and sexual violence committed on MDC supporters, allegedly perpetrated by leaders in Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party. 

The United Nations, led by former ambassador Stephen Lewis, has begun efforts to bring those to justice who committed the assaults.  AIDS-Free World, a group started by Lewis, has commenced collecting the testimony of survivors of gang rapes.  At least eight women have been interviewed by investigators thus far, many of whom provided vivid descriptions of the attacks.

For example, a 39 year old woman reported that “when they were finished with me, I could no longer stand.”  Another was raped by four Zanu-PF militia men outside of their base, stating “they took turns raping me, accusing me of supporting the opposition.”  According to the woman, if she did not rape them the soldiers informed her that they would kill her and her family.  Still another woman, from Eastern Zimbabwe, was drained of two hundred and fifty milliliters of semen after having been gang raped for three consecutive days.

These stories are being recorded by Lewis’ team, with the hopes of bringing the perpetrators to justice at the International Criminal Court.  As of now, only one man had been imprisoned for his actions, having received a sentence of twenty-two years.

Still, even with the eight women coming forward, Zimbabwean activist Betty Makoni notes there are many more out there, afraid of the consequences of coming forward.  According to Makoni, "Most women were attacked physically but also suffered spiritual damage. They are afraid of going back to their villages.”  She further added that these women are not only afraid of the army and of their security, but they also fear becoming outcasts in their own community.

Makoni also added that "the pattern of the cases is that of systematic political persecution. Testimonies from women reveal how army chiefs and Zanu PF militias deliberately embarked on a campaign against MDC supporters. We are talking of state-sanctioned violence here."

For more information, please see:

Inter Press Service – Activists Demand Justice For Politically Motivated Rapes – 15 November 2008

The Zimbabwean – Lewis Reaches Out to Women Raped for Supporting Zimbabwe’s Opposition – 11 November 2008

The Zimbabwe Times– Political Violence Returns as Talks Flounder – 16 November 2008