* News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty
International *

21 January 2002
AFR 46/003/2002
12/02

Baseless allegations against a human rights organization printed
in Zimbabwe's state-controlled daily newspaper signal the newest
phase in the government's campaign to undermine civil society,
Amnesty International said today.

On 17 and 18 January 2002, the Zimbabwe Herald newspaper
alleged that Amani Trust has been "funding covert operations
against Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front
(ZANU-PF)"; that it is financially linked to the opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and that its assistance to
the victims of political violence is actually a means of carrying
out torture.

"This is a contemptible twisting of facts -- to describe
an organization assisting victims of torture as perpetrating
torture," Amnesty International said. "We unreservedly condemn
the campaign of slander that attempts to portray Amani Trust or
other human rights organizations as politically motivated and
involved in political violence. We are concerned that this gives
a green light to state-sponsored militia to perpetrate violence
against human rights defenders."

Amani Trust, a leading human rights organization, began
operations in 1994, and has worked consistently with victims of
torture both from the liberation war before 1980 and victims of
the present political violence.

Attacks by the state-controlled media have often led to
physical attacks by ruling party supporters or to baseless,
politically motivated arrests by the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

For example, state-controlled newspapers, radio and TV
have imputed terrorist activities to MDC opposition members, who
then became victims of human rights violations, while ZANU-PF
members in a majority of cases have been perpetrators.

Amnesty International believes that these Herald articles
have created a public perception that heightens the threat of
violence by ruling party supporters against the human rights
community, in a similar manner in which the MDC and other
opposition party activists have been assaulted following articles
in the state-run media.

"We are alarmed at the prospect that Amani would be
targeted in the same manner as Zimrights -- another leading human
rights organization -- and the way the independent press has
currently been victimized," Amnesty International said.

Amnesty International notes that UN Secretary General
Kofi Annan's remarks on 15 January 2002 which expressed concern
about stifling of freedoms of assembly, association and
expression. It further welcomed UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights Mary Robinson's statement that immediate action is needed
in the "real human rights crisis", with "documented cases of
rights abuses against members of opposition groups, the
independent media and human rights organizations".

"Given the level of UN concern, and the commitment
undertaken by President Mugabe to undertake full and impartial
investigations of allegations of political violence, it is
imperative for the president to extend an invitation to the UN
Special Rapporteurs working with Commissioner Mary Robinson to
conduct investigations into the freedom of the press, torture,
political killings and the independence of the judiciary,"
Amnesty International said.

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