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Democratic
rights eroded: attack on civic activists, local government leaders
condemned
Civic Alliance
for Social & Economic Progress (CASEP)
January
20, 2003
Recent events
leading to the arrest and subsequent release of civic activists
and municipal leaders point to an erosion of the public’s democratic
rights to freedom of expression and association. CASEP condemns
this abuse of political and arresting authority.
This state of
affairs is particularly worrying given the difficult economic conditions
ordinary people are experiencing throughout the country.
Information
reaching CASEP is that on January 11th, the police Mabvuku
Hall and disrupted a civic meeting before arresting Harare mayor,
Elias Mudzuri, and council officials. Mudzuri and five council officials
were force marched to Mabvuku police station where they were charged
under the draconian Public Order and Security Act (POSA) and later
taken to Harare Central Police station were they were still locked
up at the time of going to press.
In a related
development, three members of the Combined Harare Residents Association
(CHRA) –Barnabas Mangodza, Jamieson Gadzirai, and Joseph Rose –
were arrested in Kuwadzana where they had gone for a meeting with
the chairperson of the Kuwadzana Residents Association on January
14th. They were to discuss the voter registration exercise
in light of the pending by-election in that constituency. The three
were later released and made to sign an admission of guilt fine
of Z$5000.00 each for "action likely to cause a breach of peace".
The three report that they were beaten by youth militia members
before the police arrested them.
Similar arrests
have been made on opposition political party members.
CASEP views
this concerted attempt to silence civic activism through intimidation
and arbitrary arrests as paranoid and disturbing. They erode the
country’s democratic aspirations to promoting public participation
in politics at local and national government level. They weaken
the constitutional rights and aspirations of people and civil society
for meaningful participation in national processes. The difficult
economic and political conditions facing the country call for meaningful
participation by the people in local and national government politics.
Certainly, the solution cannot come from halting this participation.
CASEP is a network
of membership based civic organisations committed to a common goal
of achieving social and economic progress and advancing the social
and economic rights of working and disadvantaged people in Zimbabwe.
For more information,
please contact:
The Chairperson, Civic Alliance for Social and Economic Progress
(CASEP)
Tel. +263-(0)4-705108, Fax: 737220
Visit the CASEP
fact sheet
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
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