This report is gives an overall analysis on information submitted to the Forum on politically-motivated violence in 2007.
Despite promises of changing the political environment especially in recognition of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mediation initiative between the ZANU PF and the two MDC factions, politically motivated violence, and use of force by state security agents in Zimbabwe continued.
There is no doubt that politically-motivated violence informs and influences political thinking amongst citizens and ultimately voting patterns in favour of those responsible for the violence. Given that the electoral process includes incidents that occur and influence elections, the March 2008 election has already been tainted by the violence that was attendant on the year 2007.
Of the politically-motivated and state sponsored violence that occurred countrywide in 2007, statistical figures in this report show that there were 19 cases of abductions, 855 of assaults, 3 477 violations on freedoms of expression, association and movement, 586 cases of torture, 3 352 cases of unlawful arrest and detention in total and 3 murders. In the majority of the torture cases, members of the ZRP or the CIO or both working in concert were involved.