Violence Against Opposition Escalates in Zimbabwe

HARARE, Zimbabwe — The extent of Robert Mugabe's crackdown on the Movement for Democratic Change was described yesterday by his thug's victims as they recovered from their injuries in a private clinic in Harare.

Lainos Mubwanda, whose brother Tapiwa was the first person to be killed in Zimbabwe's post-election violence, was injured in the same attack. He described how a gang of youth militia from the ruling Zanu-PF party arrived at their home in Mashonaland West, Mr. Mugabe's home province, where his brother was a party organizer. "They were about 200 of them that descended on our homestead. They were armed with metals, sticks and knives. They were prepared to kill, I don't think they were prepared for anything less. "They were accusing us of supporting the MDC, and demanded information from us. When they tried to beat me up, my brother jumped to my side and tried to restrain them. One of the militias stabbed my brother twice on the right side of the rib. He fell down. They hit me in the head with logs and with a huge stone in the head, then ran away into the bush." Mr. Mubwanda lost consciousness. "Later I heard that my brother had died," he added simply.

In all, two people are know to have been murdered and at least 157 assaulted so far, including a 15-year-old girl and a pregnant woman. Scores of Zimbabwe's last white farmers have seen their land invaded.