‘Egypt style protest’ activists to spend more time in custody

By Lance Guma
22 February 2011

Close to 54 activists arrested on Saturday while watching video footage of protests in Egypt and Tunisia, remained locked up on Tuesday as police and state prosecutors played legal games to frustrate and detain them longer.

Munyaradzi Gwisai, the radical leader of the International Socialist Organisation (ISO) Zimbabwe chapter, and close to 53 other activists, were arrested over claims that they screened videos to inspire “Egypt style protests’ in Zimbabwe. Those arrested are mainly members of ISO, Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and the Zimbabwe National Students Union, who attended the Harare meeting.

SW Radio Africa spoke to Darlington Madzonga from the Students Solidarity Trust, who was attending to those arrested. He told us police claim to have identified 7 ring leaders and these were meant to have been brought to court Tuesday around 2:30pm, but this never happened.
Gwisai, former student leader Hopewell Gumbo, gender activist Tafadzwa Sando Choto, labour activist Mike Sambo, Welcome Zimuto (ZINASU Deputy Secretary General), Tatenda Simukai and one other activist have been particularly targeted. Gwisai for example is said to have been so severely beaten during the arrest he is unable to walk. This is according to another activist who brought him food on Monday.

The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights issued an alert saying that when they finally gained access to their clients it was clear that at least 7 of them had been tortured by a group of unidentified men. The men said they wanted the detainees to tell them about the discussions held at the meeting.

Madzonga said the state was applying for warrants of further detention for the 7 alleged ring leaders and it looked likely the other remaining activists would be freed. But the senior police officer with power to sanction the release had still not arrived at the station by the time we went on air.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has meanwhile condemned the arrest of the activists. A statement from COSATU said the detention of the activists “on baseless charges of plotting to topple the government indicates the state of insecurity in that country.”
COSATU said the arrests showed that ‘democratic and constitutional rights’ in Zimbabwe are still a distant dream and the coalition government had not changed the situation for the better. They said events in Egypt and Tunisia have inspired many people all over the world to stand up and demand an end to dictatorship and corruption. The union urged SADC and the AU to act in support of democracy.

In a different but similar case of victimization, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights condemned what it described as the ‘malevolent and unjustified actions’ of prosecutors in the Attorney General’s Office, who vetoed a bail order granted to Nyanga North MDC legislator, Douglas Mwonzora, and 23 villagers.

Mwonzora and the villagers are facing trumped up charges of political violence but Nyanga Magistrate, Ignatio Mhene, granted them bail of $50 each. But, as is now the norm, prosecutors on Monday invoked the notorious Section 121 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act to suspend the bail order for 7 days pending the filing of an appeal by the state.

Analysts believe the ongoing crackdown on perceived opposition activists is meant to act as a deterrent against any street protests in the country. It’s also thought ZANU PF is trying to steamroll the country into another bloody election and have Mugabe installed as President, before his health problems catch up on him.