Politicide Warning: Zimbabwe
Note: This was issued by Genocide Watch on the 19 June 2008.
Zimbabwe’s run-off Presidential elections on 27 June will take place in an atmosphere of terror. ZANU-PF militias, the Zimbabwe army and police, and ZANU-PF mobs have pushed Zimbabwe to Stage 6, the Preparation stage immediately preceding political mass murder.
Families of Zimbabwe’s opposition leaders are being targeted for brutal execution. The mutilated body of Abigail Chitoro, wife of the Mayor-elect of Harare, was found on Tuesday. Mr. Chitoro said, “The body was butchered. They had used heavy objects to crush the head. She still had the blindfold that my kid said they put on her head when they took them away.”
“In the last week there have been three reports of local MDC officials who fled their homes from marauding Zanu PF mobs and who had their homes burnt down. In each case their wives were put to death, two burnt alive, the other battered to death.”
Murder and torture victims have had their ears, lips, and sexual organs cut off. Mutilation of bodies is one of the surest signs of the de-humanizing of targeted groups during genocide and politicide (political mass murder.)
ZANU-PF’s hate speech, torture, and murder have terrorized Zimbabwe since the Movement for Democratic Change defeated Mugabe and the ZANU-PF in March’s elections. Now ZANU-PF has stepped up its violence to openly kill leaders of the MDC and their families. Such acts are prelude to every politicide or genocide.
A sign of the gravity of the danger is the phenomenon of “mirroring,” a strange but common psychological mechanism of denial used by mass murderers. ZANU-PF spokesmen accuse their victims of being traitors or terrorists, when in fact ZANU-PF is the real perpetrator.
The terror campaign is being directed by Air Marshall Perence Shiri, who was commander of the infamous North Korean trained Fifth Brigade, which carried out Mugabe’s genocide against the Matabele in 1983-84. Working with him is General Constantine Chiwanga, Commander of the Zimbabwe Army, and Sidney Sekeramayi, Minister of Defense, both of whom were senior officers directly involved in the 1983-84 genocide.
The military has taken effective control of Zimbabwe. With military support, gangs of ZANU-PF marauders sweep through villages at night, killing, torturing and raping MDC supporters.
President Mugabe’s open declaration that his followers would go to war rather than accept defeat in the election is a sign of the high probability that Zimbabwe is headed for a bloodbath. His termination of relief aid to his own starving people shows his complete contempt for human life.
* Genocide Watch calls on South African President Mbeki to inform President Mugabe that if the election is followed by mass killing, South African troops will intervene to stop it.
* Genocide Watch also calls on the United Nations Security Council to refer the situation in Zimbabwe to the International Criminal Court, so that those perpetrating the crimes against humanity there, including Mugabe himself, will be brought to justice.
Dr. Gregory H. Stanton
President
Genocide Watch
POB 809
Washington, DC 20044
1-703-448-0222
June 24th, 2008 12:14
This has been my suspicion from the start. The regime is keen on wiping out half the population. The want to do away with the poor and starving. Less people to control. More food for themselves.
We all know Mugabe’s regime will never work with the MDC. So a government of unity is a hopeless dream on some part of the brokers dealing with him now.
This regime would rather go down fighting till the very end.
So the time has come for the UN to step in with force, and make Mugabe an offer he cannot refuse!
June 24th, 2008 13:58
Can anybody make sense of this Comment from
Zimbabwe Today in yesterday’s post from Moses Moyo entitled The War of the Words?
Ladies and Gentlemen, we thank the MDC President for being there for his country. To him we say thank you very much Mr President, you have shown the world that Mugabe is not what people thought he was. We are ready to deal with Zanu-PF through violence. We have been trying to give democracy a chance but Zanu-PF refused the people of Zimbabwe to choose a leader of their choice; therefore we are here to inform the people that sooner or later we will do it.
This has to be clear to Zanu-PF and the people of Zimbabwe that we are an independent group. We only love peace, but Zanu-PF has forced us to do this. Those who are willing to join us please come to Mocambique, just ask for Tiro-tiro, Sebastiao or Muhondo @kiosk zvangu Bairro pedaco, you will be referred to many people. Plz be patient with our officers as they will use different screening techniques.
CIO are also welcome. do not carry anything with you as you will be searched, and anything found will be disposed of in front of you, be it mobile phone, cash, anything.
Brigadier Dzambo Marufu
23 June 2008.
June 24th, 2008 15:09
How come this wasn’t reported by anyone else yesterday ?
Senegal’s Wade says soldiers targeted Tsvangirai
Reuters
Tue 24 Jun 2008, 7:45 GMT
DAKAR, June 24 (Reuters) - Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade called for
Zimbabwe’s presidential election run-off to be postponed, saying soldiers entered the home of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai at the weekend, forcing him to flee.
“I learned that soldiers entered Morgan Tsvangirai’s home on Sunday, June 22, looking for him and that he is only safe because, alerted by friends, he left in a hurry a few minutes earlier,” Wade said in a statement dated June 23 and received by Reuters on Tuesday. (Reporting by Alistair Thomson)
June 24th, 2008 15:47
Faraway, yes amazing, apparently he only escaped his home with minutes to spare and chose the Dutch Embassy as a neutral safe house. What were they going to do if not arrest him? Now today, in an interview with the Dutch media, he said that he had been told by the Dutch Ambassador that Mugabe’s regime had contacted the Embassy to tell Morgan that he can come out, and that they can assure him that he will be safe.
Would you trust them? Or the militant thugs who are allowed to rampage above the law? In my opinion he should ask someone to helicopter him out of there. I don’t think his life is safe. These assurances count for nothing once he is back home.
June 24th, 2008 19:44
The Dutch minister of foreign affairs has confirmed in the Dutch Parliament today, that there is a world consensus, with particular reference to Zimbabwe, that national governments have a RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT
their citizens from human rights abuses. Furthermore, he confirmed that he is having ongoing discussions with the French government, as well as the American United Nations representative as to how to intervene. He stated, in effect, that if the Zimbabwe government cannot exercise this responsibilty themselves, an outside force could, and would, come in and see to it that the human rights abuses were stopped.
June 24th, 2008 20:03
True Grit: Wondering if you have seen this link sent to me - it’s the BBC?
Hope