X. Impunity and the Need for AccountabilityImpunity for perpetrators of human rights abuses has a long history in Zimbabwe. In the past, the government has granted amnesties to perpetrators of grave human rights violations. On April 18, 1988, as part of the Unity Accord between ZANU (as it was known then) and the Zimbabwe African Peoples’ Union, the government issued a general amnesty in Clemency Order (1) of 18 April 1988, which provided amnesty to state security forces and the so-called dissidents implicated in human rights abuses between 1982 and the end of 1987 in the Midlands and Matabeleland.130 Following politically motivated violence surrounding elections in 2000, President Mugabe proclaimed a clemency order that granted indemnity to every person liable to criminal prosecution for political crimes committed during the period January 1, 2000 to July 31, 2000, excluding the crimes of rape, murder and fraud, but including grievous bodily harm (such as torture).131 For future political stability in the country, it is imperative that Zimbabwe breaks with the past and investigates and brings to justice all those responsible for serious abuses in the aftermath of the March 29 elections, including those who may have planned and organized them. Any government arising out of the presidential runoff on June 27 or any negotiations between the two main parties should not grant amnesty to perpetrators of serious crimes. Future governments of Zimbabwe will need to address the issue of accountability for past and recent violations of human rights by high ranking individuals. Independent, impartial and transparent investigations will need to be an important component of this process. And the people of Zimbabwe will have an important role to play in bringing the tragic facts of this period to the forefront, not just for the historical record, but to ensure that justice is done. |