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Treason charges against Munyaradzi Gwisai & others - Index of articles
Statement on the arrest of ISO, ZCTU ZIMCOD and ZINASU members
Zimbabwe
National Students Union (ZINASU)
February 22, 2011
On Saturday
the 19 of February 46 comrades from International
Socialist Organization (ISO), Zimbabwe
Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), Zimbabwe
Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) and Zimbabwe National
Students Union (ZINASU) were arrested at the ISO offices whilst
watching video clips as well as debating the events in Egypt and
Tunisia. The police claim that the group including former ZINASU
president Hopewell Gumbo, Munyaradzi Gwisai, and a number of student
activists was arrested while trying to initiate an Egyptian style
of revolution in Zimbabwe. Efforts to locate the whereabouts of
the 46 were fruitless in particular on Saturday to Monday, with
the Zimbabwe Republic Police not spelling out their exact location
apart from saying they were being held at a station within Harare.
The arrest comes after
protest sparked by the death of an unemployed youth in Tunisia leading
to a revolution which disposed Ben Ali the Tunisian president who
was in power for twenty two years, the revolution spilled into the
Arab region in particular Yemen, Algeria, scoring its most notable
success with the removal of Mubarak of Egypt who was in power for
30 years. The protests spread and now threatening the removal of
Moammar Gadhafi Africa's longest serving president.
In a quest to
understand this unprecedented gale of change ISO invited its members
plus individual members from the ZCTU, ZINASU ZIMCODD and other
social movements at their offices to watch the video clips and debate
or discuss them as citizens and members of the African society with
no intention at all to over through the government of Zimbabwe which
is currently an amalgamation of three political organizations one
of which the arrested are founder members, supporters or members.
ZINASU is deeply
concerned with their arrest and continued detention which is a violation
of their freedom of assembly and association and most importantly
freedom to free conscience. It is our belief that their arrest shows
the government's unfound fears of its citizens and its unquestioned
determination to thwart any dissenting voice. Contrary to that Zimbabweans
are a peace loving nation whose desire for peace can be testified
by their religious belief in elections as a vehicle of democratic
and peaceful change even when confronted by brutal ZANU-PF supported
atrocities. ZINASU is therefore demanding the unconditional and
expeditious release of all the 46.
Visit the ZINASU
fact
sheet
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