12 March 2007

President Tsvangirai, senior party officials arrested and brutally assaulted

The President of the Movement for Democratic Morgan Tsvangirai, his aides and several senior party members and political and civic leaders including Lovemore Madhuku and Mike Davies and our other colleagues in the democratic movement, were detained without charge and severely assaulted at Machipisa police station in the Harare suburb of Highfield.

As of now, President Tsvangirai is battling for his life at Borrowdale police station after he was brutally assaulted. He lost consciousness three times following the brutal attack at Machipisa police station.

Other senior party leaders were severely assaulted and our deputy secretary for international relations, Grace Kwinje, has lost part of her ear in the brutal madness at Machipisa police station.

Lawyers seeking to represent Mr.Tsvangirai and his colleagues were denied access contrary to the provisions of the laws of the land. A party activist, Mr. Gift Tandare has been brutally murdered and the police themselves have officially taken responsibility for the murder of an unarmed civilian. Mr. Tandare was shot in cold blood and killed by the police near Mhizha Primary School in Highfield.

The chilling reality is that the police are now using live ammunition on innocent unarmed people. To the family of Mr. Tandare and on behalf of the party and my on behalf we offer our condolences. However I would like to assure his family and colleagues that his death in defence of our freedom will not be in vain. Gift has been declared a hero of our peaceful and unarmed struggle. His crime was to demand his right to pray, assemble and associate with Zimbabweans of his choice. To those rogue elements of our professional police force who have chosen to be used against the people, let me warn you that those of you who are abusing human rights in the name of the dictatorship will be held to account in a free Zimbabwe. We know who you are.

The MDC President, senior party officials and civic leaders were arrested while on their way to a 'Save Zimbabwe' prayer meeting organized by the Christian Alliance at Zimbabwe Grounds in Highfield, Harare. This is hardly four weeks after the same police barred the MDC from launching its 2008 Presidential election campaign at the same venue notwithstanding the existence of a High Court Order and the dictates of the Sadc Principles on Democratic elections which demand that every candidate is entitled to unfettered access to the electorate. Robert Mugabe, through Posa and AIPPA, has declared a de facto State of emergency, which ensures that only his voice will be heard. What he does not realize is that people across the political divide in Zimbabwe are tired of his voice.  

Senior MDC officials arrested include President Morgan Tsvangirai, his spokesman William Bango, Secretary-general Tendai Biti, party spokesman Nelson Chamisa, secretary for policy and research, Sekai Holland, Kambuzuma MP, Willias Madzimure, the deputy treasurer-general Elton Mangoma, deputy secretary for International Relations Grace Kwinje and Gladys Hlatshwayo a national youth executive member.

Today in Mutare, the police have arrested 140 MDC activists including the entire Manicaland provincial executive and they are in custody at Mutare Central police station. Their crime was that they were holding a peaceful march demanding the release of President Tsvangirai and the national leadership. They were also protesting the shooting in cold blood of a fellow activist in Harare.

The regime has resorted to arresting forces of democratic change. The whole country is under siege from the forces of tyranny. We are now witnessing the reincarnation of LOMA (the law and order maintenance act), which was used, against our leaders during our struggle for independence. We should be ashamed of ourselves as a people today that our erstwhile independence has amounted to nothing except the replacement of a brutal white racist settler minority regime by an equally brutal albeit black minority and kleptocratic regime determined to cling to power against the will of the people.

The regime has become vicious on all people demanding democratic change in Zimbabwe. The arrest of the MDC officials is a sign that the dictatorship is panicking over the people's collective demand for a new Zimbabwe.   The regime yesterday deployed over 1 000 armed police in Highfield to thwart a lawful civic gathering, a clear violation of the people's basic freedoms of assembly and association. A prayer gathering does not require police clearance under the draconian Posa.

The MDC demands the immediate and unconditional release of the party and other civic leaders. We demand that the regime makes democratic expression possible now. The nation is on a knife-edge and the people want bread on their tables and not bullets in their bellies. The regime has unnecessarily heightened political tensions by arbitrarily arresting and assaulting innocent citizens demanding change.

The party remains unwavering in its commitment to bring peaceful change in Zimbabwe. We will continue to resist in a peaceful manner the subjugation of our political and economic rights. We remain alive to our national obligation to deliver change and to demand, as we hereby do, that we hold presidential elections in 2008 under a new people driven constitution. We advise our supporters to remain calm in the face of open provocation by the police. Brutality against our leaders will not delay the hour of change, which is now upon us.

Following an emergency national executive meeting today, the MDC resolved to:

-Demand the immediate and unconditional release of the President and all national leaders.

-An end to police brutality, murder and attempted assassination of our leaders and the general populace

-Further demand that Mugabe and Zanu PF must go now

-Intensify the peaceful, democratic resistance programme nationally

Finally, I would like to warn Robert Mugabe and Zanu-PF, that no amount of police brutality can either stop or delay the people's march to freedom. Zimbabweans will never give up their right to economic and political freedom. Every Zimbabwean must awaken to the reality that we are our own liberators. As a party, our foot remains firm on the democratic change accelerator as we cruise towards the total democratization of Zimbabwe. A New Zimbabwe is our mandate.

 I thank you

Hon T. Khupe

Acting President

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