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A statement of support for Brian Raftopolous
Editors of the Review of African Political Economy
November 21, 2003

We, editors of the Review of African Political Economy, would like to express our outrage at the incarceration of Professor Brian Raftopolous, a valued contributor to our publication and an internationally renowned academic, and all other people that we hold in no lesser esteem, by the Zimbabwean uniformed personnel on 18th November 2003.

We do not believe, as has been argued by self-professed 'intellectuals' of the Zimbabwean ruling elite and other proponents of 'patriotic nationalism', that human rights and the associated freedoms of assembly and expression are imperialist 'universalisms' designed to undermine the sovereignty and autonomy of Zimbabwe's polity.

The West has no monopoly, or necessary claim to, principles of humanism and decency. On the contrary, the universalist principles that the brave people of Zimbabwe are seeking to reclaim, of human dignity, respect and material sustenance, are those shared by democrats and socialists everywhere. In the face of the moral authority of the struggle against hunger and oppression, the self-serving propaganda of the Zimbabwean governing elite serves only to perpetuate misery and suffering. We hope that common sense will prevail, and that all detainees will be released safely and quickly in the interests of a better Zimbabwean future.

Signed:
Rita Abrahamsen, Sarah Bracking, Ray Bush, Graham Harrison,
Caroline Ifeka, Giles Mohan, Marcus Power, Colin Stoneman

For more information, contact:
Sarah Bracking
Lecturer in Politics and Development
Institute for Development Policy and Management
University of Manchester
The Harold Hankins Building
Precinct Centre
Booth Street West
Manchester M13 9QH
UK
Tel: +44 (0)161 275 2928
Fax: +44 (0)161 273 8829

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