Global IssuesZIMBABWE: Question Marks As Tsvangirai Sworn In
A powerful symbolic reconciliation was staged in Harare on Feb. 11 when President Robert Mugabe administered an oath of office to make his bitter political rival Morgan Tsvangirai prime minister of a government of national unity.
But the continued incarceration of political prisoners linked to the Movement for Democratic Change is only one of the issues that threatens to cloud the much-awaited implementation of the power-sharing deal.
After the MDC faction led by Tsvangirai resolved on Jan. 30 to join a government of national unity to be led by President Mugabe as per recommendations of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders, the MDC-T leader issued a statement in which he categorically stated that he would not be joining the all-inclusive government unless and until all political prisoners were released by Feb. 1, the date set by SADC leaders for his swearing in as Prime Minister together with his two deputies.
'We (the MDC-T national council) resolved that all abductees be released unconditionally before the 11th of February,' said Tsvangirai on Jan. 30.
As part of a strategy to arm-twist Tsvangirai to the negotiating table, several MDC officials and supporters were abducted from their homes by state security agents between October and December 2008.
But Tsvangirai was at pains to reassure about 30,000 supporters who turned up to hear his inaugural address that he would spring the detainees from jail within 24 hours. He also named stabilising the economy as his first priority and pledged to pay soldiers and public sector workers' salaries in foreign currency.
'I am aware there are political prisoners in prison,' said Tsvangirai. 'I am not happy that they are still locked up. I wanted them to be here celebrating with us. This has not been possible but I want to assure you all that they will not stay any day longer in prison,' he said.
More than 30 political prisoners are being held in the notorious Chikurubi Maximum Prison on charges ranging from attempting to destabilise Zimbabwe to seeking to oust President Mugabe using violent means.
'Of the 30 political prisoners, 11 cannot be accounted for,' said Irene Petras, the director of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights. 'All the political prisoners urgently require medical treatment after being brutalized in custody by state security agents.'
Among those in prison is 72-year-old Fidelis Chiramba, the MDC-T district chairman for Zvimba South, President Mugabe's rural home. According to court documents lodged by lawyers, Chiramba, along with several others, was subjected to an enforced disappearance at around 3 am by six heavily armed men on Oct. 30.
'He was heavily assaulted and subjected to beatings on the soles of his feet. He was put into a deep freezer, and then removed, had his clothes taken off and hot water poured on his genitals. He was made to parade naked in front of female abductees and his physical build mocked by his captors. He was never given medical treatment for his injuries,' reads the affidavit prepared by Petras.
Douglas Gwatidzo, president of the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights, has personally Chiramba and several other political prisoners.
'On 6 February, Mr. Chiramba was taken to the Avenue Clinic for treatment. He exhibited evidence of congestive cardiac failure secondary to severe hypertension. He still exhibits evidence of soft tissue injuries secondary to assault. His medical condition warrants admission and stabilisation in a functional and properly equipped hospital,' said Gwatidzo, in a statement issued to the media on Feb. 7.
He said Kisimusi Dlamini, MDC-T chief security officer, and Gandhi Mudzingwa, a former personal assistant to Tsvangirai, were also attended to on the same day and found to have serious medical conditions that needed hospitalisation.
They are also still locked up in Chikurubi.
'We unreservedly condemn the continued denial of access to adequate medical treatment of persons detained at Chikurubi Maximum Prison following their alleged abduction and subsequent torture,' said Gwatidzo.
Petras, whose ZLHR is coordinating the legal representation of all those languishing in prison, said political prisoners remained incarcerated while politicians congratulated themselves about progress made in moving towards the establishment of an inclusive government.
'We believe that the manner in which Mr. Chiramba and his fellow political prisoners are being treated is a reflection of the lack of sincerity of politicians in ensuring that the security of all persons in Zimbabwe remains paramount,' she said.
Speaking on the eve of the swearing-in ceremony, Ernest Mudzengi, a political analyst with the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), a non-governmental organization drumming up support for a new people-driven constitution said Tsvangirai would be in a fix if he proceeded to be sworn-in while his supporters remained locked up.
'The fact that political prisoners are still in makes the whole agreement of the inclusive government tricky and controversial,' said Mudzengi.
'In all transitions usually there is a release of political prisoners before a major ceremony like tomorrow's swearing in ceremony of Tsvangirai. If the swearing in of Tsvangirai is to usher in a new historic epoch, the political prisoners should be released. It they are not released it will appear as if the country is continuing under the old political dispensation,' he said.
© Inter Press Service (2009) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service