H13503
Headlines : Human RightsBattered Tsvangirai appears in court
Opponents of President Robert Mugabe blame him for acute food shortages, inflation of some 1,600 percent — the highest in the world — and repression and corruption. They have demanded the ouster of 83-year-old Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s only ruler since independence from Britain in 1980.
[Posted By Judy]Republished from AP. via The Independent (UK)
The leader of Zimbabwe’s main opposition party and about 50 other democracy activists – some of them bandaged and bruised – appeared in court today, two days after they were arrested for trying to attend an opposition meeting.
Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, had a large gash on his head with about 10 stitches. His face and eyes were badly swollen. Tsvangirai was allegedly tortured after being arrested when police crushed the gathering organized as a prayer meeting by a coalition of opposition, church and civic groups under the “Save Zimbabwe” banner.
The group brought to a magistrate’s court today arrived singing and chanting, transported in a large police truck.
Their lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, said no charges were immediately laid and the state prosecutor had no instructions. She said legal representatives were on their way to the office of the attorney general to learn whether the activists would be released. The court adjourned for lunch with the group still sitting inside.
Late Monday, High Court Judge Chinemberi Bhunu had ordered police to allow Tsvangirai the others to receive immediate medical treatment and access to their lawyers.
Bhunu said that if police refused to comply with his…
Posted by Judy
Born and raised in Toronto, I'm now heading over to the UK to pursue an MA in Russian Politics, Security and Integration. I'm crazy about feminism, multilateralism, peacekeeping, the Toronto Maple Leafs and puppies.
RELATED ITEMS
- Army and police desert beleaguered Mugabe
Posted by Judy on Sunday, February 18th 2007 - Mugabe feasts - as his people starve and his party plots
Posted by gaanjah_mama on Sunday, February 25th 2007 - Mugabe Celebrates as Zimbabweans Seethe
Posted by Heatscore on Wednesday, February 21st 2007 - Mugabe basks in his 82nd year
Posted by FirePussy on Monday, February 20th 2006 - Mugabe secures two-thirds majority
Posted by BurningMonk on Saturday, April 2nd 2005
It is too bad that the air time is being wasted. This is not about some guy getting beat over the head.
Zimbabwe used to be Rhodesia. Seeing any light yet? It’s a former slave colony taken over by the IMF. But the white people aren’t farming. They own the farms but they aren’t farming it.
I guess they’re pissed, huh? This is basically what Hugo caught Venezuela’s Ruling Class trying to do.
That used to be 400,000 jobs and food. That’s what they mean when they talk about how things “used to be ok”.
Now Zimbabwe is a net importer of food. So guess who’s in deep bloody debt? Well, the IMF won’t give them the time of day. Cause they can’t “pay”. As if our friendly neighborhood high finance geniuses hadn’t set the whole trap up in the first place.
We’re talking 80% unemployment. Out of a labor force of 4 million. Not including kids and the elderly.
FFS
With a life expectancy between 38 and 40 years of age, I guess we don’t have to worry about the elderly. But 40% are under 15.
What percentage of the population would you guess is living below the poverty line? That’s right. 80%.
Here’s what’s left to do in the way of work (60% of those who ARE employed are in “services”) :
Mining (coal, gold, platinum, copper, nickel, tin, clay, numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores), steel; wood products, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs, beverages
See anything that might call for a lot of cheap labor? All that adds up to 1.8 billion in exports. But. So we think that’s anywhere near close to what the next guy in the food chain is getting for it? No. We do not.
Imports. How much does it cost them to feed themselves, now that the gubment can’t be bothered with food security? 2 billion buckaroonies.
The EU and the US are being kind enough to supply “food aid”. Pendejo hypocrits.
Why aren’t our companeros telling this to Al Jazeera & Co? We know why The Independent wouldn’t dream of saying anything.
Because they’ve never had the luxury of talking to someone who gave a shit.
Dear God — They’re praying. That’s it. That’s all they can think of to do. Nice of the missionaries to leave them something with which to feed their souls. At least.
Ban-ki, surely you can do more than have your secretary cut and paste from a template of palliatives.
If the Corporate media gave a shit they’d have pumped out a little more context. They’re making it sound like he’s some kook and Mugabe should let kooks have their day. Oh and they have a little problem with inflation. Right.
A quarter of the population has aids. That’s 1.4 million people.
Check out Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison on the outskirts of Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. For everyone’s favorite friendly neighborhood political prisoners.
You’d best have any empty stomach for this one. How about a quick quote to get you started?
OPEN QUOTE
The men confined here are held in overcrowded cells, measuring 9m by 4m. Typically speaking there are 25 men per cell. Each day the men are confined to their squalid cells between the hours of 3:30pm and 7:00am. Four to five times a week they are also locked up for the guards lunch break, between the hours of 11:30am and 1:00pm. There are no beds and so the men have to sleep on mats spread out over the crowded cell floor. Some inmates refuse to wash, which results in blankets becoming lice infested. There is a predominance of HIV positive, practising homosexuals within this rat and lice infested prison. The cells are shared with people in the terminal stages of AIDS, Tuberculosis, Herpes and other highly infectious diseases, as well as some prisoners who are mentally ill. Many of the infected prisoners are unable to control their bodily functions, and this results in the cell floor and blankets being contaminated with body fluids; pus, phlegm, blood, urine, faeces.
END OF QUOTE
Of course they’re waving a white flag. Of course they are.
Wait.
One last thing you won’t want to miss :
OPEN QUOTE
Each month they receive ½ toilet roll
Morgan Tsvangirai: They brutalised my flesh but will never break my spirit
Seeing a police station, which must be a sanctuary for the protection of the rights of citizens, being converted into a hell-hole was heart-wrenching.
Seeing police officers trash their constitutional duties in favour of brutalising innocent civilians trying to exercise their basic freedoms was equally devastating.
Yes, they brutalised my flesh. But they will never break my spirit. I will soldier on until Zimbabwe is free.