67 rallies canceled: Zimbabwe opposition members attacked, murdered

HARARE, Zimbabwe - A ruling party mob attacked a group of opposition supporters who were preparing for an election rally in central Zimbabwe, setting their vehicle on fire, the opposition said Sunday.

Police later forced the cancellation of the rally, which was scheduled to take place Sunday, out of fear that it was likely to degenerate into disorder, said Learnmore Jongwe, a spokesman for the Movement for Democratic Change.

Nine opposition members had arrived Saturday night to prepare for the rally in Gokwe, 200 miles west of the capital, Harare. They were attacked by a mob of supporters of the ruling ZANU-PF party and fled into the brush, leaving their truck behind, Jongwe said. When they later returned, they found it had been burned.

For two years, Zimbabwe has been gripped by political violence as the increasingly unpopular President Robert Mugabe, 77, seeks to extend his 21-year control of the government.

White-owned farms have been seized, thousands of farm laborers have been chased from their homes and the independent media and judiciary have come under repeated attack from the government.

Violence has intensified ahead of elections scheduled for March 9-10, when Mugabe will face a stiff challenge from opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, a former trade unionist. Human rights groups say the chances of a free and fair election are remote.

Recently the government passed laws giving the authorities sweeping powers of search, seizure and arrest, with 20-year jail terms for anyone inciting Mugabe's overthrow.

"To date we have had 67 rallies canceled either by the police or by ZANU-PF violence since the (laws were) passed three weeks ago," said Jongwe. "We will contest this election under the most severe circumstances but we have been stretched to the limit."

Sixteen reported killed in upsurge of political violence as vote nears in Zimbabwe--"This is the highest number of deaths recorded in any one month since the first politically motivated murder was recorded in March 2000," the group said in a statement. The total may be higher as other deaths may have not been reported to the alliance of church and non-governmental organizations, the statement said. The deaths, along with 142 reported cases of torture, 35 kidnappings and 18 disappearances in January, contradict government claims political violence was declining, the group said. "In fact, it is increasing at an alarming rate," the statement said.

Zimbabwe farmer William Gau arrives at an emergency care center in Harare with multiple injuries after he was alledgedly attacked by two suspected war veterans on his farm in the Harare South area, Thursday, Feb 7, 2002. Thursday's attack followed an incident Wednesday in which 30 suspected government supporters trashed his workers' compound and badly injured several of his workers. (AP Photo)

Opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters show the open palmed hand sign at the party's first major campaign rally in the eastern city of Mutare, Zimbabwe February 3, 2002. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai launched his election campaign, urging voters to oust President Robert Mugabe in a March poll and saying they could no longer afford a ruler who wrecked the country. (Howard Burditt/Reuters)

Does this next picture remind you of another dictator. It should. Castro has been sending "teachers" and "doctors" into Zimbabwe and given lots of advice to Mugabe.

Zimbabwe National Youth Brigade members walk past supporters at the first ruling ZANU (PF) presidential election rally in the Murehwa district, northeast of Harare, February 1, 2002. The opposition and critics claim the Youth Brigade is being used as a private army by the ruling party ahead of crucial elections scheduled for March 9-10. REUTERS/Howard Burditt

'War Veterans' training youths to hunt down opposition supporters--[Excerpt] The national chairman of the Zimbabwe Victims Rehabilitation Support Network (ZVRSN), Bopoto Nyandoro, said war veterans had also set up 10 bases in Mashonaland East where suspected opposition supporters were being tortured. He said a field study undertaken by ZVRSN had revealed that opposition Movement for Democratic Change supporters were being kidnapped, tortured and forced to reveal where their colleagues lived. [End Excerpt] LINKS to Mugabe's death squads

in zimbabwe if you oppose mugabe through the legal means of wanting to elect somebody else, then they will kill you.

We remember the tremendous publicity that south africa received 20 years ago and we see the enormous double standard in that when blacks are in charge all is acceptable to the media elite.

We should all understand that the fundamental reason why it is not news when terrible things happen in black africa is because of racism of the elite in america and in europe. Remember how in Rwanda & Congo there have been over a million people slaughtered in the last 8 years. Bill Clinton got a lot of news when he went there to apologize for the fact that he personally decided not to allow america to lift a finger to help that situation, but the actual terrible events in black africa get very little news.

Ask yourself if a million people were slaughtered in Europe whether it would be big news or not.

I guess I'll just never understand.

Put color aside for a moment and try this on for size.
Marxist Hugo Chavez is on the verge of taking over Venezuela, praising communists,
denouncing capitalism and literally re-tooling the government from the book written by Casto.
This too has gotten very little coverage and when it covered, they call Chavez a firebrand.
I believe this has more to do with a love for communists and a hatred of the U.S., than it has to do with color.
But as they do here in the U.S., any criticism of thugs like Mugabe is quickly met with cries of racism.

FEBRUARY 11, 08:26 ET Newspaper Offices Bombed in Zimbabwe [Full Text] HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) - Two gasoline bombs were hurled Monday at provincial offices of Zimbabwe's only independent daily newspaper, which the government has accused of supporting the opposition.

A gasoline bomb also was thrown at a nearby print shop in Bulawayo, about 230 miles southwest of Harare. The print shop had printed some opposition election campaign material.

Neither premises was seriously damaged.

The attacks are the latest political violence ahead of presidential elections on March 9-10. President Robert Mugabe, 77, and his increasingly unpopular ruling party are fighting for political survival after nearly 22 years in power.

Mdududzi Mathuthu, The Daily News' chief reporter in Bulawayo, said the bombs smashed a plate glass window at the entrance to the paper's offices, burning a carpet in the lobby. No one was inside and there was no damage to the upstairs offices.

On Thursday, ruling party militants pasted Mugabe's campaign posters on the street-level windows. While cleaners were removing them, militants warned staff to leave the posters or their office would be burned down, Mathuthu said.

Owners at printers Daily Print said the firm had produced campaign material for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. Damage to the shop was minimal.

No comment was immediately available from police.

Opposition activists on Sunday accused ruling party supporters of attacking them to prevent an election rally at Gokwe, 200 miles west of Harare. [End]

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