Prayer meeting in support of victims of political violence - 22 June 2008

Over 300 people on Sunday 22 June converged at the Grace Ablaze Ministries International church to join Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe in commemorating the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Zimbabwe has suffered an orgy of state sponsored and engineered violence since March 29 in a retributive campaign to cow people into voting for the Robert Mugabe.

Bishop Magaya of Christian Alliance, who gave the main sermon, castigated the continuing politically motivated violence which has has left the country in limbo. He emphasised the need for peace in the country and encouraged the families that have been displaced, the people who have been beaten and the families of those who have died to continue believing God for an end to all their pain and suffering as He is the only one with power over the life and death of men.

Two victims of politically motivated violence gave testimonials of the twist in their lives since after elections. Pastor Mhike, who was a Zimbabwe Election Support Network observer during the harmonised elections in Guruve North, South and Central said that his wife had been abducted on two occasions as he was not at home when the war veterans had arrived. They had to flee the area because the war veterans were threatening to kill the pastor.

Another victim, Mr Mhizha, watched his brother and sister in law get killed by war veterans and was unable to mourn them as the war veterans threatened to kill him if he remained in the area.
According to a statement made by MDC on Sunday 22 June 2007, the violence has seen the death of over 86 MDC supporters, over 200 000 internally displaced, over 20 000 homes destroyed and over 10 000 injured and maimed and the displacement of over 3000 others.

United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture is commemorated every year on June 26, as the day the United Nations Convention on Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment in 1997. Over 103 countries have so far ratified the convention, but Zimbabwe is not one of them.

ROHR Zimbabwe pledged 30 blankets and groceries for the victims of violence who were present at the event