Legitimacy of Upcoming Zimbabwean Election Already in Question

By M. Brandon Maggiore
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Africa

HARARE, Zimbabwe – The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) reports forced voting, arrests, and other issues, and Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports that the Zimbabwe election will not bring about democracy.

Five police officers accused of supporting the MDC, an opposition group to the ruling Zanu-PF party, have been jailed for 14 days. This action comes just over a week before the March 29 elections and while postal voting is taking place.

Four police officers were arrested after boarding a vehicle of Harrison Muzuri, a local MDC parliamentary candidate, while another was arrested for allegedly waving an open hand, a symbol associated with the MDC.

Critics say that the police act which bars police officers from participating in politics is selectively enforced, and that supporters of the Zanu-PF party are not prosecuted. Several police officers have been seen entering vehicles for the Zanu-PF without being disciplined.

According to information obtained by the MDC, police officers and military members are being forced to vote under the supervision of their supervisors. Solders in Mutare were required to write their identification number on the back of their ballot, and police officers in Bulawayo were allegedly forced to vote multiple times.

Postal votes are already raising suspicion of fraud. On Thursday, Eddie Cross, MDC policy advisor for the Tsvangirai formation and MDC parliamentary candidate for Bulawayo South told the BBC, “The Zimbabwe Election Commission has said only the police force has requested 8,000 postal votes. To our surprise, we have information that postal votes, cast and sealed, are over 75 000. Where have the rest come from?”

Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC President, claims that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission had ordered the printing of between 600,000 and 900,000 postal votes. While the armed forces, police, and diplomats total about 82,000, only about 20,000 are eligible for postal votes.

To find out how many postal votes have been sent out, the MDC plans on going to court. The concern is that the armed forces and diplomats are being forced to vote a particular way, not that they are being permitted to vote in advance.

HRW released a report on the upcoming election on Thursday. The report listed numerous concerns  stating that ”there is little chance the March 29 elections will help Zimbabwe either establish democracy or bring an end to the country’s ongoing political crisis.”

HRW  criticized the use of government distributed food supplies and government-subsidized farming equipment to influence the election. The report also discusses the beating of opposition supporters in February by Zanu-PF supporter, and intimidation of opposition supporters by police forces in spite of the prohibition against such conduct in Zimbabwe’s Electoral Laws Amendment Act.

Access to Zimbabwe’s state-owned television and radio stations has also been a problem for opposition leaders according to HRW. In February, President Robert Mugabe and the Zanu-PF party received five-times more television coverage than all opposition groups combined.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Zimbabwe police jailed for ‘bias’ – 21 March 2008

allAfrica.com – Zimbabwe: Soldiers And Police Officers Forced to Vote Under Supervision – 20 March 2008

Human Rights Watch – All Over Again Human Rights Abuses and Flawed Electoral Conditions in Zimbabwe’s Coming General Elections – 20 March 2008

United Nations Sees No Improvements in Myanmar

By Kristy Tridhavee
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Asia

YANGON, Myanmar – The United Nations [UN] special envoy to Myanmar reported that its last visit to the country was its most disappointing yet because senior government leaders refused to meet with them. Ibrahim Gambari, a representative from the envoy, commented, “Whereas each of my previous visits produced some tangible result that could be built upon, it is a source of disappointment that this latest visit did not yield any immediate tangible outcome.”

The only thing the UN special envoy was able to do was leave a list of UN recommendations for international monitoring that would enhance the “credibility and inclusiveness” of the democracy project the military junta says it is undertaking. The Myanmar government has begun to implement a seven-step process called “a road map to democracy.”

Critics, however, believe the plan will only guarantee continued military dominance. The “road map to democracy” calls for elections in 2010 and bars participation by Aung San Suu Kyi. Aung San Suu Kyi is a leader of the National League of Democracy, and she has been under house arrest for 18 years intermittently. During the UN special envoy’s visit, Ibrahim Gambari met withAung San Suu Kyi, and during the visit she urged that there could be no reconciliation until she was treated as partner in the dialogue.

US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad also expressed disappointment with the constitutional and referendum process. The draft of the constitution had yet to be distributed, and there are laws prevented debate concerning it. The UN will attempt to introduce a draft statement based on its concerns and lack of progress on important issues. However, U.N. Ambassador U Kyaw Tint Swe said that “no Security Council action is warranted with regard to Myanmar.”

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej made his first visit to Burma and made controversial comments, which were quite contrary to the UN’s reactions. During his weekly TV program, the prime minister said, “Killings and suppressions are normal there but we have to know the facts.” He went on to praise the Senior General Than Shwe. He then went on to add, “And Senior (Gen) Than Shwe practices meditation. He says he prays in the morning … and the country has been in peace and order.” Senior General Than Shwe ordered troops and riot police to fire at peaceful street protestors, which were lead by thousands of Buddhist monks.

For more information, please see:

AP – UN Envoy Disappointed with Myanmar Trip – 18 March 2008

International Herald Tribune – UN Envoy Disappointed by Myanmar Visit – 19 March 2008

Inter Press Service – Thailand Queers ASEAN’s Burma Pitch – 19 March 2008

UPDATE: Nuon Chea Refused Bail

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – The Khmer Rouge Tribunal rejected Nuon Chea’srequest for bail.  Nuon Chea is charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role as Pol Pot’s right-hand man during the Khmer Rouge regime’s rule of Cambodia. Nuon Chea had argued that he was not a flight risk and his safety was not in danger because he had been living for years “in peace and harmony” at his home in the jungle along the Thai border.

For more information, please see:

Reuters – Pol Pot’s Number Two Loses Bail Bid – 20 March 2008

United Nations Sees No Improvements in Myanmar

By Kristy Tridhavee
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Asia

YANGON, Myanmar – The United Nations [UN] special envoy to Myanmar reported that its last visit to the country was its most disappointing yet because senior government leaders refused to meet with them. Ibrahim Gambari, a representative from the envoy, commented, “Whereas each of my previous visits produced some tangible result that could be built upon, it is a source of disappointment that this latest visit did not yield any immediate tangible outcome.”

The only thing the UN special envoy was able to do was leave a list of UN recommendations for international monitoring that would enhance the “credibility and inclusiveness” of the democracy project the military junta says it is undertaking. The Myanmar government has begun to implement a seven-step process called “a road map to democracy.”

Critics, however, believe the plan will only guarantee continued military dominance. The “road map to democracy” calls for elections in 2010 and bars participation by Aung San Suu Kyi. Aung San Suu Kyi is a leader of the National League of Democracy, and she has been under house arrest for 18 years intermittently. During the UN special envoy’s visit, Ibrahim Gambari met withAung San Suu Kyi, and during the visit she urged that there could be no reconciliation until she was treated as partner in the dialogue.

US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad also expressed disappointment with the constitutional and referendum process. The draft of the constitution had yet to be distributed, and there are laws prevented debate concerning it. The UN will attempt to introduce a draft statement based on its concerns and lack of progress on important issues. However, U.N. Ambassador U Kyaw Tint Swe said that “no Security Council action is warranted with regard to Myanmar.”

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej made his first visit to Burma and made controversial comments, which were quite contrary to the UN’s reactions. During his weekly TV program, the prime minister said, “Killings and suppressions are normal there but we have to know the facts.” He went on to praise the Senior General Than Shwe. He then went on to add, “And Senior (Gen) Than Shwe practices meditation. He says he prays in the morning … and the country has been in peace and order.” Senior General Than Shwe ordered troops and riot police to fire at peaceful street protestors, which were lead by thousands of Buddhist monks.

For more information, please see:

AP – UN Envoy Disappointed with Myanmar Trip – 18 March 2008

International Herald Tribune – UN Envoy Disappointed by Myanmar Visit – 19 March 2008

Inter Press Service – Thailand Queers ASEAN’s Burma Pitch – 19 March 2008

UPDATE: Nuon Chea Refused Bail

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – The Khmer Rouge Tribunal rejected Nuon Chea’srequest for bail.  Nuon Chea is charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role as Pol Pot’s right-hand man during the Khmer Rouge regime’s rule of Cambodia. Nuon Chea had argued that he was not a flight risk and his safety was not in danger because he had been living for years “in peace and harmony” at his home in the jungle along the Thai border.

For more information, please see:

Reuters – Pol Pot’s Number Two Loses Bail Bid – 20 March 2008