Zimbabwe socialists facing treason charges call for solidarity! Trial now August 22, 2011


Action in solidarity with the Zimbabwe socialists, July 18, 2011.

By the National Coordinating Committee, International Socialist Organisation Zimbabwe

UPDATE July 19, 2011 -- The six comrades facing trial at the Harare Magistrates Court have been remanded until August 22, 2011.The six are Munyaradzi Gwisai, Tafadzwa Choto, Tatenda Mombeyarara, Hopewell Gumbo, Edison Chakuma and Welcome Zimuto. The trial had been originally pegged for the morning of July 18 but it only kicked of at 1500hrs.The prosecution has come up with a new charge, that is, "inciting public violence", which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment.

We are not satisfied with this development. We remain committed to our resolve that there should have been no charges in the first place. The meeting of February 19 was legitimate and a democratic right. These fake and trumped-up charges are coming at a great cost. Already one of the original 45 treason trialists, David Mpatsi, has died following a rapid deterioration in his health arising from his incarceration and denial of medical treatment. We hold the regime responsible for this death and the fate of his three children he has left behind. He indeed has paid the death penalty.

Comrades this is a ruthless regime which will not stop at anything to maintain its illegitimate hold on power and serve the interests of the ruling class. Our comrades still face a serious charge of up to 10 years imprisonment in the regime’s horror prisons where many have died. Only international solidarity backed by militant mobilisation locally will stop this regime. We therefore call for your continued support.

We would like to thank the scores of activists who attended court today and those who sent solidarity messages. Aluta continua!

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July 7, 2011 -- The International Socialist Organisation Zimbabwe (ISOZ) wishes to update all progressive cadres, socialists, revolutionaries and democrats who have been in solidarity with us since the unjust February 19, 2011, arrest, detention and torture of ISO comrades, student leaders and human rights activists that the case of "State v Munyaradzi Gwisai and 6 Others "goes to court on July 18, 2011.The trial will take place at the Rotten Row magistrates Regional Court 18 in Harare, Zimbabwe at 08:30hrs.

[For more information on the case, click here for previous articles.]

Our National Coordinating Committee comrades Munyaradzi Gwisai, Tafadzwa Choto and Tatenda Mombeyarara will be standing trial together with trade unionist Edison Chakuma, debt rights activist and ex-ISO comrade Hopewell Gumbo and student leader Welcome Zimuto.

We fully understand that the evil alliance between the state and the entire capitalist establishment should be resisted by all means. We are together in the struggle. Furthermore, the capitalist regimes of the world realise that their time is up and they have decided to give their last kicks, be it in Yemen, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, UK, Tunisia, Egypt and Swaziland and even here in Zimbabwe, where our comrades are facing similar charges for defending democracy and freedom of expression.

Your solidarity messages condemning our arrests were important in increasing the political cost on ZANU-PF [Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front] for keeping us detained. You indeed fought for our freedom. They can beat us, kill us and detain us. But they will not survive the revulsion of the intrinsic contradictions of capitalism that we are exposing. Workers will always stand up and revolt. We won’t stand by while rampant corruption and crass materialism disable both government and private sector. We will shout at the top of our voices when we detect abuse of power and political intolerance. Egypt and Tunisia are lessons for the poor and an opener to another Russia 1917. However, the workers and the oppressed masses of the present world if united can easily make capitalism history as well as turn all past revolts into tea-drinking sessions. Jambanja Ndizvo!

As revolutionary socialists we remain committed to the resolve and commitment that there is only one solution to capitalism. That solution is a revolution.

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Please sent messages of solidarity to: iso.zim@gmail.com, solidarity@freethemnow.com, editor.socialistworker@gmail.com; visit the websites www.freethemnow.com, www.isozim.blogspot.com; visit our facebook page, Socialist Zimbabwe.

You can also put pressure on the ruthless, counter-progressive state machinery of Zimbabwe by calling/faxing the following numbers to demand all charges against the Zimbabwean socialist be dropped:

Ministry of Justice +263 4 734920/24

Attorney General +263 4 774586/7;772987/8;772992

Ministry of Home Affairs +263 4 703641/3; email: moha@gvt.co.zw

0ffice of the President & cabinet +263 4 707091/7

Africa
Zimbabwe
ISO (Zimbabwe)
ZANU-PF

Submitted by Terry Townsend on Fri, 07/22/2011 - 20:04

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Thursday, July 21, 2011

Image removed.By Zeb Parkes

 
On the 18 July 20 activists gathered in Fremantle WA, to respond to calls from Zimbabwe political activist for international solidarity.
Activists singed a giant postcard demanding that charges be dropped against the six Zimbabwe political prisoners with messages expressing international solidarity, specifically in the struggle for free speech and democracy.
This is part of an ongoing struggle that started In February 19 this year when 45 activists in Zimbabwe were arrested for screening a youtube video of protests in Egypt and Tunisia. The footage is similar to what you view on a channel like BBC. This is yet another extreme attack on free speech and public assembly that has become a standard part of the Mugabe regime.
During February and March the 45 activists were held in solitary confinement and charged with treason, which carries the death penalty. Under public pressure, the charges of all but six of the activists got dropped and their charges downgraded to that of subverting the constitutionally elected government which carries a 20 year prison sentence.
On monday 18 July, Munyaradzi Gwisai, Tafadzwa Choto, Hopewell Gumbo, Welcome Zimuto, Tatenda Mombeyara and Edson Chakuma went to court facing this charge and the charge was once again downgraded to inciting public violence which carries a 10 yrs prison sentence. They will face court again on 22 August.
Whilst the downgrading of the charges is a positive step in the right directions, the position still remains the same that no charges should have been laid in the first place and the people of Zimbabwe should have the right to freedom of speech and public assembly.
Sadly, during this time one of the 45 activists arrested in February for showing the video, David Mpatsi a member of the International Socialist Organization (ISO), whose health never recovered after he was held in solitary confinement in February and March died on 14 July. Another victim of the Mugabe regime.
Paul Kaplan for the Zimbabwe Information Centre (WA branch) speaking at the action believes that the downgrading of the charges proved that public pressure was working and showed that the “tide was beginning to turn in Zimbabwe, no longer has Mugabe got total power there.”
He also went on to mention that the frontline African states surrounding Zimbabwe, members of SADC (Souther African Development Community) are now being far less supportive of Mugabe and pushing harder for fair elections and democracy in Zimbabwe since the Egypt and Tunisia uprisings.
SADC has being consistent in the past with saying a lot about having fair elections in Zimbabwe without actually doing much to achieve it. Where in fact their actions have often supported the Mugabe regime. In 2007 newszimbabwe.com reported SADC had asked western governments to end sanctions against Mugabe’s government. International sanctions are a key part of weakening Mugabe’s regime and must continue.
Even in 2008 when SADC put in place the GPA (global political agreement) in response to political violence and rigged elections that came under international criticism as a solution to Zimbabwe's political crisis. The GPA was meant to pave the way to fair elections. This failed miserably for various reasons, key amongst them was it wasn’t being monitored by an independent body and Mugabe ignored it and SADC didn’t try and enforce it.
In October many of the leaders of SADC are coming to Perth as participants of CHOGM (Commonwealth heads of government meeting). Paul Kaplan sees this as an important opportunity for people in WA to pressure SADC members “to show them very clearly that to get a fair and free election happening in Zimbabwe they hold the key.”
SADC must do more than it is currently doing if Zimbabwe is to become a democracy where people can hold screenings of youtube video’s without the threat of being arrested.