Zimbawbe

It's now over a month since the elections took place in Zimbawbe.In the aftermath of the March 29, 2008 elections, Zimbabwe's future seems uncertain. Although opposition parties captured a majority in the lower house of Parliament, the ruling ZANU-PF party has demanded a recount in two dozen races that could tip the balance back in its favour.

The results of the presidential race have not been released; the opposition has claimed victory with enough of a majority to avoid a runoff, but ZANU-PF has denied the claim. The election itself was relatively peaceful, though there was not a level playing field due to allegations of voter roll manipulation, the placing of polling stations to depress the opposition vote, and the use of food assistance to persuade citizens to vote for ZANU-PF.

Since March 29, the youth militias have committed numerous beatings against people suspected of votong for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Over one hundred people have required hospitalization and several thousand have been displaced from their homes. The government maintains a monopoly on the television and radio media, and its denial of accreditation to independent domestic and foreign journalists means that Zimbabweans lack access to information from alternative views.

Amnesty International's priority human rights concerns in Zimbabwe are the lack of an independent judiciary, a concern for the protection of human rights defenders, and to ensure that all Zimbabweans have security of tenure for land on which they live.

Taken from Amnesty International's Website