Jestina Mukoko out on Bail!

Just got the following message from my Jestina Facebook group:

"GOOD NEWS: Human rights activist Jestina Mukoko was released on bail this monday after three months in jail. Several other activists from the MDC party has been released too- an encouraging sign that newly appointed prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai's calls for political prisoners to be freed were finally being heeded.

Tsvangirai, who last month joined a power-sharing government with President Robert Mugabe, last week said it would be difficult for the new administration to move forward while a list of outstanding issues, among them continued detention of Mukoko and others, remained unresolved.

Jestina Mukoko is still facing charges of terrorism, though. And she was not released unconditionally. Mukoko was asked to pay $600 in bail, surrender her passport and the deeds to her house or deposit US$20 000 with the court as surety. She was asked to report to police twice a week.

The MDC activists released earlier were also slapped with similarly tough bail conditions and some of those granted bail remained in custody either because they had not satisfied all conditions or because the state was still to establish whether they held passports or not.

Nevertheless, Jestina is happy: "It's so good to be free. I need to call my son and tell him that I am a free woman," said Mukoko, as prison guards unshackled her hands from the railings of a bed at a Harare hospital where has been admitted for the past two weeks."

BBC report here.
latest from This is Zimbabwe here.
Amnesty International

Morgan Tsvangirai visits the Chikurubi prison

The Times reported yesterday the the newly-sworn-in Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Morgan Tsvangirai, went to the maximum security prison in Harare to visit the political prisoners currently detained there (including Jestina Mukoko). Of course Tsvangirai's original plan was to hold out on making a deal with Robert Mugabe until the prisoners had been released. Oooooops. The Times sees it as an acid test with regard to whether or not Mugabe will actually be sharing any of the power in the power-sharing deal. Read about it here.

Is Jestina Mukoko Close to Death?

Denford Magora's Zimbabwe blog is reporting today that Jestina Mukoko is near death. As you may recall, Mukoko has some chronic illnesses for which medication is needed on a daily basis, and she was snatched from her home without being allowed to bring anything with her. Magora notes:

"Zimbabwe's prisons are known for inflicting a punishment known as kafiramberi on their inmates. The word, loosely translated, means "Die Forward". This is a reference to the fact that well-known prisoners and those considered "dangerous" are only ever released when they are almost dead and all invariably die within weeks or a couple of months of being released."

Since Morgan Tsvangirai has come to an agreement with Robert Mugabe, the plight of Mukoko and her fellow prisoners seems to have faded into the background of the political situation in Zimbabwe. Is it too late?

Mukoko in the Times

Nearly 2 months after the story of Jestina Mukoko's arrest broke, the Times has finally written a proper article about what has been happening. If you would like to read this particular collation of information it is here.

BTW the name for the "alleged" torture of beating the soles of the feet is 'Falanga'. It is also known as 'Bastinado'.

Zimbabwean activists lose bid for bail

Nelson Banye of Reuters reports:

"HARARE - A Zimbabwean court on Tuesday ruled that a leading human rights advocate and eight other activists should remain in custody, in a case that has raised further doubts over a power-sharing deal. The state has charged Jestina Mukoko, who leads a local rights group, and the other activists with recruiting or trying to recruit people for military training to topple President Robert Mugabe's government. The arrests have raised tensions in Zimbabwe, where Mugabe and the opposition are locked in a long dispute over allocation of cabinet posts under the power-sharing agreement, seen as the best chance of easing a deep economic crisis.

Defence lawyers had argued that the activists had been abducted, not legally arrested, and that Zimbabwe's High Court had already ordered that they be freed. "All the accused should remain in custody pending determination of the matters in the superior courts," said magistrate Olivia Mariga in her ruling. Mariga postponed proceedings to Jan. 14. "The court is of the view that remand proceedings should be postponed, as the defence is pursuing applications in superior courts," Mariga said.

The activists' lawyers have lodged applications in the high court, seeking to set aside a magistrate's earlier ruling that they be placed on remand. They are also seeking permission for their clients to get medical treatment from doctors of their choice. Defence lawyers say they have been tortured. In affidavits, the activists said they were severely beaten on the soles of their feet. They said they were beaten with fists and blunt instruments.

Morgan Tsvangirai has threatened to pull his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party out of negotiations over the issue. Many of the activists in custody are MDC members and the party has said they were abducted. Two are colleagues of Mukoko, a former state television broadcaster who has emerged as one of Mugabe's toughest and most influential critics. Mukoko was taken away at gunpoint in a dawn raid in Harare on Dec. 3 by a group of men in plainclothes who stormed her house and identified themselves as policemen. A High Court judge last week declared the detention of Mukoko and her co-accused unlawful and ordered their immediate release, but the government appealed against the ruling."

There was a rumour the other day that Mukoko was dead, so it's good to hear that this is not the case. Meanwhile, I cannot understand why there is not more worldwide coverage of and interest in this situation. These people are in just as much trouble as many in Gaza.

Jestina Mukoko update

I cannot find anything definite so far online - Mukoko was due to be in court today. There are, however, some alarming rumours floating around, e.g.

* Silobreaker.
"Former ZBC newsreader and now political prisoner Jestina Mukoko is being force fed poison at the notorious Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison, according to the UK Sunday Independent newspaper."

* Denford Magora's Zimbabwe Blog
"Guys, the real business of this Jestina Mukoko court case is being done outside the courtroom and what we see happening in the courts is simply a show."

* Jurist
"This news comes after a high court rejected Mukoko's petition for release to receive medical treatment on Friday. Mukoko's attorney Beatrice Mtetwa has ordered a toxicology test to corroborate the allegations, saying that Mukoko is psychologically traumatized and it is not sure that she has been able to tell the whole story about her treatment because of the constant presence of state officials."

Mukoko remains in prison

From Radio Netherlands worldwide online yesterday:

"Zimbabwe's Mukoko must stay in jail
Published: Wednesday 31 December 2008 10:55 UTC
Last updated: Wednesday 31 December 2008 15:45 UTC

In Zimbabwe, a Harare court has ruled that the prominent Zimbabwean human rights activist Jestina Mukoko must remain in jail. Ms Mukoko and 15 co-defendants will appear before a judge on Monday. They are accused of plotting a coup against President Robert Mugabe. Ms Mukoko was taken from her home three weeks ago and held in a secret location. This led to fierce protests both in Zimbabwe and abroad. The European Union demanded her release and that of the other suspects. The Zimbabwean opposition views the case as the latest attempt by the government to silence protesters. Almost all the 15 others accused with Ms Mukoko are members of the MDC opposition party.

The Zimbabwean Supreme Court ruled last week that the secret detention of Ms Mukoko and the other suspects was unlawful. The government appealed against the ruling."

mukoko is still alive

just read this via the bbc online:

"Prominent Zimbabwean human rights activist Jestina Mukoko, missing for the past three weeks, has appeared in court in the capital, Harare. The state-run Herald newspaper says Ms Mukoko is charged with attempting to recruit people for military training to try to overthrow the government.

It is unclear when or where the director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project has been over the past few weeks. The police denied opposition claims that they had been holding her. The Herald said earlier today that Ms Mukoko would be one of a group of people facing the charges to appear in court in Harare. The newspaper reported a police statement claiming one of the defendants had tried to recruit a police constable to undergo military training in Botswana. The training would have been used to forcibly depose President Robert Mugabe's government and replace it with one led by opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, said the statement. Ms Mukoko is one of more than 40 human rights activists and opposition supporters who Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) say have been abducted in the past two months.

On Wednesday morning, lawyers in Zimbabwe said they had confirmation that Ms Mukoko was being held at a police station in Harare. Her whereabouts had remained a mystery since she was allegedly abducted from her home outside Harare on 3 December by 15 armed men. In an unusual move, a High Court judge had ordered police to search for her and told the national Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation to run radio and television appeals for information.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Irene Petras of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said Ms Mukoko and others arrested had "fundamental rights and freedoms which are being violated with complete impunity". Ms Petras claimed the detainees had been held at unknown locations and possibly subjected to torture and degrading treatment. Members of the lawyers group took to the streets of Harare last week to highlight Ms Mukoko's plight, carrying banners banners protesting against other alleged abductions. Ms Mukoko's court appearance comes as international pressure on Mr Mugabe is mounting. The leader of the governing ANC party in neighbouring South Africa, Jacob Zuma, has described the situation in Zimbabwe as "utterly untenable". Meanwhile Archbishop Desmond Tutu had said he is "very deeply disappointed" that South Africa has failed to stand up to Mr Mugabe."

many prayers are answered in that jestina mukoko is still alive. the question now, of course, is what will happen to her after the show trial is concluded. i was trying to figure out why this particular story caught my attention, and i think it was because they wouldn't let her find her glasses when she was abducted. a small thing, but being blind as a blind bat myself, it gave me a minuscule insight into the panic and terror of that instant. i don't think i can get my head round the myriad examples of state violence that have so far occurred - it is those small things for me that help to make visceral connections.

associated press update 25th december here.

where is jestina mukoko?

first question is - who is jestina mukoko? she is a woman in zimbabwe, currently the director of the zimbabwe peace project, a group that monitors human rights in the country. the sunday times reports today:

The terrifying ordeal of Jestina Mukoko, a television news anchor turned human rights activist, began at 5am on December 3 when seven men and one woman forced their way into her house at gunpoint in Norton, a quiet, leafy town 25 miles west of Harare. The intruders were not in uniform, although one of the men claimed to be a police officer. They refused to let her dress, find her spectacles or pick up the blood pressure pills that she is supposed to take three times a day. Her 17-year-old son Takudzwa and a six-year-old niece, Tofara, who was in her care, were left shocked and alone after seeing her led away in her nightdress. Mukoko, 51, who was widowed 13 years ago, has not been seen since by family, friends or lawyers. The regime of President Robert Mugabe has said nothing about her whereabouts or her condition. Fears for her safety are growing."

nobody knows who took her, or where she is. the only thing everyone knows is that robert mugabe will be much happier when she is not around to catalogue the evidence of his tyranny. for example, the st tells us that:

"Jestina Mukoko recorded 20,143 incidents between January and September 2008 including:

- 202 murders
- 463 abductions
- 41 rapes
- 411 cases of torture
- 3,942 assaults
- 907 cases of malicious damage to property
- 444 cases of unlawful detention
- 10,795 cases of harassment/intimidation
- 73% of victims are said to be supporters of the opposition MDC
- 80% of perpetrators of violence are claimed to be Zanu-PF supporters"

how do the powers in this world decide which countries need to be invaded in order to save their people and which do not? is zimbabwe being left alone because all available forces are currently deployed in afghanistan and iraq? if such invasions ultimately do not achieve their goals, e.g., bringing democracy to the region, or flushing out and removing despots and their followers, then what can be done to help? mugabe is utterly bonkers, but it is not just a question of political violence ... MILLIONS are going hungry, and the economy has collapsed. jestina mukoko has probably been murdered already. i wish i could be brave like she is. and i wish i knew what to do with such courage.

sunday times article.
press release amnesty usa.

thursday thirteen xii

Thirteen News Stories Not About Iraq

There is a world beyond the United States of America, but it is not often mentioned on the news. Here are some serious, and not so serious recent news items I noticed today:

1. There is no freedom without sacrifice
Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition in Zimbabwe, speaks out against President Mugabe.
2. Ending the crisis in Darfur
We know there are problems in the Sudan, but how many of us could explain what they are? Here is a perspective from the UK mission to the United Nations.
3. The Lebensborn Children
Norwegians born during WW2 as the result of a Nazi experiment to create Aryans sue the government for years of abuse.
4. Police rescue 91-year-old man glued to roof
I hope I am fit enough to get up on the roof when I am 91 (toi toi toi).
5. Vicar murdered in Wales
News like this makes me despair. For those who anticipate 'apokalupsis eschaton', i.e., the revelation at the end of the world that is preceded by some climactic battle between the forces of evil and good, the random nature of violence in the world today might indicate its imminent arrival.
6. Don't shoot the viola player
I did not realise that violists felt so oppressed :-(
7. Has science found the moody hormone?
Adolescent mice may show the potential cause of pubescent mood swings.
8. A new species of leopard has been discovered
For those of us interested in nature conservation in Borneo.
9. Malignant Hypothermia
Just heard a guy on the radio who suffers from this talking about it. He called it pyrothermia, i.e., the opposite of hypothermia. It is a genetic disorder triggered by certain general anaesthetics.
10. The Blooker Prize
This is a prize for books originating as blogs. The 2007 shortlist is here.
11. The problem of deforestation
Save the trees! I was telemarketed by the local newspaper today. They didn't seem to understand that I felt their parochial rag was not worth the lives of trees. They did understand 'no thank you.'
12. Ayaan Hirsi Ali
An interview with the Dutch politician who speaks out against political Islam in Der Spiegel. It's in English!
13. Sucked to Safety
A hamster is saved by a hoover.

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