Mugabe Crackdown - Zimbabwe Opposition Beaten, Tortured, Sexually Assaulted

WASHINGTON, D.C. March 28 (OneWorld) - International human rights groups are becoming increasingly concerned about a growing crackdown by the government of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe against his opposition in advance of two key by-elections in the capital Harare this weekend.

As many as 400 activists of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) have been arrested following a largely successful two-day general strike last week in Harare and Zimbabwe's second largest city, Bulawayo. Many of those detained reported they were beaten, tortured and sexually assaulted while in police custody.

"What we are witnessing is much more than the government's usual tactic of raising the level of violence in the run-up to elections," said Amnesty International. "This is an explosive situation where there seem to be no limits to how far the government will go to suppress opposition and maintain its hold on power."

Some analysts believe that Mugabe is trying to strike hard at the opposition now that global media attention is focused almost exclusively on the war in Iraq. The State Department this week strongly criticized Mugabe and called for an immediate end to the repression, but neither the events in Zimbabwe nor State's comment received any coverage in major U.S. newspapers.

Attacks on important local MDC leaders have been particularly violent over the past 10 days.

In one incident March 18, a group of soldiers and state agents beat and tortured three workers on the farm of Roy Bennet, the MDC member of parliament for the eastern district of Chimanimani, says Amnesty. The three men, who were accused of being MDC supporters and of burning a bus, were forced to lie on their stomachs and were beaten with batons, whips, and pieces of wire. One of the workers, Steve Tonera, died as a result of the torture.

Two days later, a convoy of three trucks carrying soldiers returned to the farm and assaulted as many as 70 people living there.

In another case, cited by the New York-based Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, prominent attorney Gugulethu Moyo was punched and beaten on March 18 in Harare when she went to a police station to represent a newspaper photographer who was detained there.

One of her attackers was identified as Jocelyn Chiwenga, wife of the Zimbabwean Army commander. Gen. Constantine Chiwenga. The police made no effort to intervene during the assault. Moyo was then detained for two days during which she was denied medical treatment before being released without charge.

"There is an ongoing campaign to threaten, harass and obstruct the work of lawyers trying to ensure respect for the rights of their clients, particularly in cases where the clients themselves are government opponents or critics," said Lorna Davidson a senior associate with the Lawyers Committee who just returned from Zimbabwe.

She noted that another human rights lawyer, Gabriel Shumba, was also detained and tortured earlier this year when he tried to represent an opposition lawmaker.

In yet another case reported by Amnesty, as many as 60 MDC activists, including four parliamentarians, were arrested in Harare March 19. Three of them were still being held earlier this week.

Last week's strike was the largest public protest since Mugabe took power after independence in 1980. He accused the MDC of trying to incite violence against the government. "Those who play with fire will not only be burnt," Mugabe said, "but consumed."

"The alarming escalation in political violence is a clear indication that the Zimbabwe authorities are determined to suppress dissent by whatever means necessary, regardless of the terrible consequences," Amnesty said. "The expectation is of further violent reaction to organized protests by the MDC and civil society."

Mugabe has been put increasingly on the defensive due to serious food shortages deriving from a prolonged drought and the implementation of the government's controversial land-reform program. In addition, Zimbabwe's suspension from the Commonwealth was reaffirmed last month.

"Black Hitler - tenfold" unleashes Zimbabwe military against dissenters

March 28, 2003 - Zimbabwe government warns foes ahead of ultimatum deadline[Full Text] HARARE (AFP) - The Zimbabwe government warned that it will deal severely with the opposition if it carries out a threat to march on President Robert Mugabe's residence next week as part of mass action protests.

Last week, the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party gave the government until March 31 to address demands which include the restoration of law and order (news - Y! TV) and an end to alleged state-sponsored violence.

If the government failed to meet the demands, the MDC said it will march on the State House.

Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi, said the government took the opposition threats "very seriously".

But he "sternly warned those who would like to cause unrest and civil commotion in this country under the guise of freedom of expression and democracy that they will be dealt with severely".

"We will not allow anybody going to any State House or any government building. People must eat and learn to fill their stomachs where they are without dreaming or sometimes being illusionary or sleepwalking," said police commissioner Augustine Chihuri.

"Members of the opposition now advocating for a resurgence of political violence should know that no kid gloves will be used in future," Mohadi said, calling for MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who faces treason charges, to be tried while in police custody.

"The courts must be aware that while Morgan Tsvangirai is being tried for treason, he is taking advantage of being out of custody to orchestrate acts of violence.

"We urge the judicial system to review this position so that he is tried while in custody," Mohadi said.

Tsvangirai was arrested last year for plotting to assassinate Mugabe and has been out of custody since then.

The trial of Tsvangirai along with two other party officials has been under way since February 3, 2003.

Based on evidence supplied by a Canadian based political consultant, Tsvangirai is accused of having planned to kill Mugabe ahead of last year's presidential elections. But Tsvangirai said he was trapped by the Zimbabwe government.

On Friday, Tsvangirai repeated his call for peaceful mass action against Mugabe's government if the opposition's demands for law and order are not met by Monday.

"There can be no compromise or surrender. Mugabe must unconditionally yield or face decisive mass action from the people," he told some 40 diplomats in the capital.

Political tensions are running high in the southern African country ahead of by-elections this weekend in two Harare suburbs, both opposition strongholds, and in the aftermath of an anti-government mass strike held last week.

The opposition says at least 400 of its members have been arrested and assaulted and tortured by the security forces, but the police says it is holding only 320 MDC supporters and denies ill-treating any.

The police commissioner said allegations of brutality were "pure propaganda".

"This talk of brutality ... is not substantiated. The police in this country have a good human rights record, they are well trained in human rights, they are well behaved and quite professional," said Chihuri.

The European Union on Friday voiced concern over the arrests of the opposition supporters, "many of whom have suffered ill-treatment and even torture by security forces".

The United States this week accused Zimbabwe's government of unleashing a new wave of violence against the opposition, which it said was incited when Mugabe compared himself to Adolf Hitler.

Fri Mar 28 - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe(AFP/Aaron Ufumeli)

Under Mugabe's petty dictatorship, a former thriving nation is now a 3rd world country.

Correct!

The Jewel of Africa*** "You have the jewel of Africa in your hands," said President Samora Machel of Mozambique and President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania to Robert Mugabe, at the moment of independence, in 1980. "Now look after it." Twenty-three years later, the "jewel" is ruined, dishonored, disgraced.

Southern Rhodesia had fine and functioning railways, good roads; its towns were policed and clean. It could grow anything, tropical fruit like pineapples, mangoes, bananas, plantains, pawpaws, passion fruit, temperate fruits like apples, peaches, plums. The staple food, maize, grew like a weed and fed surrounding countries as well. Peanuts, sunflowers, cotton, the millets and small grains that used to be staple foods before maize, flourished. Minerals: gold, chromium, asbestos, platinum, and rich coalfields. The dammed Zambezi River created the Kariba Lake, which fed electricity north and south. A paradise, and not only for the whites. The blacks did well, too, at least physically. Not politically: it was a police state and a harsh one.

When the blacks rebelled and won their war in 1979 they looked forward to a plenty and competence that existed nowhere else in Africa, not even in South Africa, which was bedeviled by its many mutually hostile tribes and its vast shantytowns. But paradise has to have a superstructure, an infrastructure, and by now it is going, going- almost gone.***

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.