Democracy News
Zimbabwe Charges 46 People With Treason
March 4, 2011
By: Chinyelu Odunze | Printer Friendly
In Zimbabwe, 46 people were accused of plotting to overthrow President Robert Mugabe. Allegedly, they were plotting to overthrow the president in uprisings similar to those that led to the ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The suspects were detained on February 19, after they were caught watching footage of the protests that led to the ouster of Tunisian leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Zimbabwean authorities said the accused were arrested and charged with treason, a charge that carries the death penalty. Officials with Mugabe's security forces say they will crack down on anyone plotting to destabilize the government. According to CNN, a ruling on the charges' merits is expected on March 7.
Reuters reports that the defense lawyers maintain the accused were engaging in an academic debate on African politics when police arrested them. No trial date has been set.
At least 12 of the activists were beaten with broomsticks on their buttocks and the soles of their feet, defense attorney Alec Muchadehama told a packed courtroom on March 3. The Los Angeles Times reports that some of the defendants, who are HIV positive, have been denied lifesaving antiretroviral drugs, advocates said.
The Los Angeles Times reports that according to the organizer, "we were linking the struggles in Egypt and Tunisia to the current situation in Zimbabwe. People were throwing out their perspectives and their views on how they can free themselves from this regime.”
"If watching television footage of the uprisings was treason, most Zimbabweans would be guilty of it because we watch news daily," Muchadehama said. Reuters also reports that Muchadehama added that the accused would plead not guilty then the case goes to trial.
The BBC's southern Africa correspondent Karen Allen says Zimbabwe has faced a virtual news blackout on the historical global events of the past few weeks. However, activists have been using social network sites to galvanize opposition groups to protests emulating those across the Middle East and northern Africa, she adds.
Mugabe, 87, has ruled Zimbabwe since the country’s independence in 1980. Like Mubarak and Ben Ali, he has been accused of rigging elections and instituting repressive laws to tighten his grip on power.
The arrests may be an indication that authorities are worried that the uprisings in North Africa may inspire Zimbabweans to rise up. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which is in a troubled unity government with Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), has called the arrests "an abuse of state machinery by ZANU-PF to suppress the people's views."
Mugabe's policies over the past decade have been blamed for running the once-prosperous country into economic crisis. Mugabe has called for an election this year, but his political rival and leader of the MDC, Morgan Tsvangirai, has threatened to boycott the poll if a referendum on a new constitution is not held.
For previous news on Zimbabwe, please see:
Art Exhibit Showcases Zimbabwe’s Grisly Past
Sources:
BBC News - Zimbabwe Holds 46 for Attending Lecture on Egypt Unrest
CNN - Washington Concerned Over Torture Allegations in Zimbabwe
Voice of America - Zimbabwe Charges 46 with Plotting to Overthrow Mugabe
|
