News / Press Release
'Release regime change suspects!' Zimbabwe Communist Party demands
22 May 2019 at 06:15hrs | Views
The arrest of four people; Tatenda Mombeyarara, George Makoni, Gamuchirai Mukura, and Frank Mphalo upon arrival at the Harare International Airport on Monday 20th April 2019 is clearly an attack on those fighting for the rights of the oppressed people of Zimbabwe.
The charge that they were organizing the violent overthrow of the Zimbabwe government exposes the foolishness of the so-called Central Intelligence Organization. The people involved were returning from an international meeting of civil society organizations in the Prague, Czech Republic.
The CIO is very aware that the organization of violence, when it occurs, does not take place at such international gatherings. We must wonder who they are trying to convince. They know they are lying and we know they are lying. What the state security forces have done disgraces Zimbabwe and in itself can be regarded as an act of treason as it directly contradicts the provisions of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, a democratic Constitution voted for by the overwhelming majority of the Zimbabwean people in 2013.
This is not an isolated incident. The National Political Commissar of the Zimbabwe Communist Party, Ian Beddowes, was accused - in the ZANU(PF) publication "The Patriot" - of giving militant training to Mthwakazi youth ― yet his opposition to separatism is very well known. Then on Friday 27 th April 2019, ARTUZ Secretary-General Robson Chere, together with 3 other teachers, Jess Drury, Precious Ndlovu and Munyaradzi Ndawanawere were abducted from a private house in Greystone Park, Harare. They were holding a political education meeting for teachers based on the well-known book by Brazilian educationist Paulo Freire, The Pedagogy of the Oppressed.
Four men in plain clothes without an arrest warrant broke into the house after which they were and then taken to Harare Central Police Station where they were charged under Section 37 of the Criminal Code, "Participating in a meeting which promotes violence or bigotry." The ARTUZ lawyer, Doug Coltart, was summoned to the police station the following day, Sunday 28th April 2019 to face similar charges.
On 26th of April, Mackswell Basiyavo, Secretary for Legal Affairs in ARTUZ was abducted and tortured. ARTUZ played an important role in the formation of the Guruve Residents' Association in Mashonaland Central. He was kidnapped by men carrying an AK-47 at Shamwari Filling Station, taken to a secret place and tortured for some hours for exposing land fraud.
What is clear is that there is a new movement growing among the people of Zimbabwe which rejects the neo-liberal, pro-imperialist and anti-poor policies of ZANU(PF) and MDC. ZANU(PF), at present begging to join the British Commonwealth, cannot characterize the growing peoples' movement as ‘pro-imperialist' as ― correctly ― it has been able to do with the MDC. We are
opposed to sanctions imposed by the US and Britain ― the countries which gave us Mugabe and ESAP. The black Rhodesian élite now have to invent reasons to arrest us.
The ZCP was the first to call for National Economic Dialogue in 2017. But ZANU(PF) has refused to include us in their discussions. Worse. The working-class organized through the trade union movement has not been involved. According to the neo-liberals, National Economic Dialogue is supposed to take place without the producers of wealth ― the workers. President Mnangagwa is running a National Monologue, not a Dialogue. The ZCP demands the dropping of the ridiculous charges by the state and the end of thuggery and harassment of trade unionists and other activists working for the interests of the Zimbabwean majority, the working-class, the peasants and the poor. The ZCP calls for the revival of the principles and the demands of those who fought and gave their life's blood for the liberation of Zimbabwe. The Bolshevik Red Star is on our beloved national flag. It is the Red Star of Socialism.
The Zimbabwe Communist Party demands the adoption of a National Democratic Economy as the first step towards socialism and calls for genuine dialogue. We demand the release of the PRAGUE 4!
The charge that they were organizing the violent overthrow of the Zimbabwe government exposes the foolishness of the so-called Central Intelligence Organization. The people involved were returning from an international meeting of civil society organizations in the Prague, Czech Republic.
The CIO is very aware that the organization of violence, when it occurs, does not take place at such international gatherings. We must wonder who they are trying to convince. They know they are lying and we know they are lying. What the state security forces have done disgraces Zimbabwe and in itself can be regarded as an act of treason as it directly contradicts the provisions of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, a democratic Constitution voted for by the overwhelming majority of the Zimbabwean people in 2013.
This is not an isolated incident. The National Political Commissar of the Zimbabwe Communist Party, Ian Beddowes, was accused - in the ZANU(PF) publication "The Patriot" - of giving militant training to Mthwakazi youth ― yet his opposition to separatism is very well known. Then on Friday 27 th April 2019, ARTUZ Secretary-General Robson Chere, together with 3 other teachers, Jess Drury, Precious Ndlovu and Munyaradzi Ndawanawere were abducted from a private house in Greystone Park, Harare. They were holding a political education meeting for teachers based on the well-known book by Brazilian educationist Paulo Freire, The Pedagogy of the Oppressed.
Four men in plain clothes without an arrest warrant broke into the house after which they were and then taken to Harare Central Police Station where they were charged under Section 37 of the Criminal Code, "Participating in a meeting which promotes violence or bigotry." The ARTUZ lawyer, Doug Coltart, was summoned to the police station the following day, Sunday 28th April 2019 to face similar charges.
On 26th of April, Mackswell Basiyavo, Secretary for Legal Affairs in ARTUZ was abducted and tortured. ARTUZ played an important role in the formation of the Guruve Residents' Association in Mashonaland Central. He was kidnapped by men carrying an AK-47 at Shamwari Filling Station, taken to a secret place and tortured for some hours for exposing land fraud.
What is clear is that there is a new movement growing among the people of Zimbabwe which rejects the neo-liberal, pro-imperialist and anti-poor policies of ZANU(PF) and MDC. ZANU(PF), at present begging to join the British Commonwealth, cannot characterize the growing peoples' movement as ‘pro-imperialist' as ― correctly ― it has been able to do with the MDC. We are
opposed to sanctions imposed by the US and Britain ― the countries which gave us Mugabe and ESAP. The black Rhodesian élite now have to invent reasons to arrest us.
The ZCP was the first to call for National Economic Dialogue in 2017. But ZANU(PF) has refused to include us in their discussions. Worse. The working-class organized through the trade union movement has not been involved. According to the neo-liberals, National Economic Dialogue is supposed to take place without the producers of wealth ― the workers. President Mnangagwa is running a National Monologue, not a Dialogue. The ZCP demands the dropping of the ridiculous charges by the state and the end of thuggery and harassment of trade unionists and other activists working for the interests of the Zimbabwean majority, the working-class, the peasants and the poor. The ZCP calls for the revival of the principles and the demands of those who fought and gave their life's blood for the liberation of Zimbabwe. The Bolshevik Red Star is on our beloved national flag. It is the Red Star of Socialism.
The Zimbabwe Communist Party demands the adoption of a National Democratic Economy as the first step towards socialism and calls for genuine dialogue. We demand the release of the PRAGUE 4!
Source - Zimbabwe Communist Party
