Riot police cause mayhem at the University of Zimbabwe
This press release just received from the Student’s Solidarity Trust.
Relentless onslaught on students!In clear testament to its autocratic perfectionism, the Harare regime has continued on its sustained warpath on students in Zimbabwe.
In a shocking development, the riot police caused mayhem and pandemonium on the University of Zimbabwe on the night of the 24th of April, beating up students indiscriminately and firing teargas into the halls of residence.
The beatings and arrests were informed by students campaigning for posts in the coming SEC elections.
Apparently 7 student leaders were arrested and detained by the police, and were severely beaten.
This move is unprecedented, and speaks volumes of the intolerance levels of this regime, denying students their democratic choice to seek political office is the highest form of academic barbarism, and should be condemned at all costs.
Meanwhile the National University has again summoned student leaders for another hearing. The students have been summoned to another student disciplinary hearing with fresh charges on the demonstration they held on compass in February. This is follows their first hearing on the 28th March where they were charged with demonising the Government and the Vice Chancellor of NUST.
While they were awaiting verdict on their first hearing, they were this week summoned to yet another hearing with fresh charges against them. Letters sent by the University Admissions and student records read
- Contravening section 3.2.1 of Ordinance 30 - the charge being unlawfully and intentionally engaging in conduct which was reasonably likely to be harmful to the interest of the university by displaying violence by word or act towards of the security at NUST.
- Contravening Section 3.1.4. of Ordinance 30- unlawfully and intentionally engaged in conduct which was reasonably likely to be harmful to the interest of the university, by actively associating yourself with a group of persons who threw stones at the entrance of the main administration block, thereby destroying property of the university.
“You are therefore requested t o appear for a disciplinary hearing scheduled for the 2nd of May 2006 at 0830hrs” reads one of the letters to the four students. The university is likely to expel students seeing their quest to change charges into more serious ones.
The heightened and sustained attack on students comes at a time when the Zimbabwe National Students Union is organising for a historic congress, which will be mandated to elect a new leadership into office. The new leadership will be tasked to reclaim the space that students had lost. Students should now be in a position to echo the demands of downtrodden nation and should lead from the front, alongside the suffering workers, the weary peasants and the unemployed youths, in the struggle for democracy in Zimbabwe. Long live the Union!
Read SST press releases relating to events in March here.
May 2nd, 2006 00:35
We the people of the Commonwealth come together to sign this petition to demand that the Commonwealth be held accountable to its own committments under the Harare Declaration of 1991. Two past elections in Uganda in 2001 and 2006 have returned the incumbent after violent campaigns and rigged results as ruled by Uganda’s Supreme Court and observed by local and international election observers. Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth for electoral fraud and violence, yet Uganda will be honored by hosting CHOGM 2007. We demand equal treatment of all member states regardless of the color or race of their citizenry. Act Now!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/983107725
May 2nd, 2006 10:17
[...] This is Zimbabwe reports on the beatings and arrest of students from the Univeristy of Zimbabwe on the 24th April…. “The beatings and arrests were informed by students campaigning for posts in the coming SEC elections.” [...]