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Zimbabwe Trade Union Leaders Released
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)
December 12, 2002

Brussels
The nine trade union leaders detained by the regime of President Robert Mugabe on 9 December have now been released, following protests to the Zimbabwe authorities from trade unions around the world.

One of the detainees, Wellington Chibhebhe, General Secretary of the ICFTU Zimbabwe affiliate the ZCTU, was beaten with a broom during his detention in a police cell in Harare. Police also threatened that if he did not resign as ZCTU General Secretary, he would be "removed or eliminated".

In a court hearing on 11 December, the judge rejected the prosecutor's plea that those detained be charged under the draconian Public Order and Security Act (POSA). The regime's case contradicts earlier statements from President Mugabe and the ruling party that the POSA would not be used against trade unions. After the ruling, the police finally released the detainees, but threatened to arrest them again under the provisions of the POSA.

ICFTU General Secretary Guy Ryder said "These detentions are part of a continuing pattern of violations of trade union rights in Zimbabwe, and appear to have been designed to harass trade union leaders and disrupt the work of the ZCTU and its affiliates. We are concerned that despite their release on this occasion, the Zimbabwe regime will manufacture excuses to detain or otherwise harass trade unionists in Zimbabwe in future. We will continue to monitor the situation very closely, and the international trade union movement stands ready to support the Zimbabwe trade union movement in their continuing work to defend the rights of working people".

The ICFTU is forwarding a complaint to the International Labour Organisation on this latest example of intimidation by the Mugabe regime against the trade union movement.

The ICFTU represents 158 million workers in 231 affiliated organisations in 150 countries and territories. ICFTU is also a member of Global Unions: http://www.global-unions.org

For more information, please contact the ICFTU Press Department on
+32 2 224 0232 or +32 475 67 08 33.

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