There hasn't been enough coverage in the news and on blogs about what is going on right now, as I write this, in Zimbabwe. Suffice it to say that some of the most egregious assaults to human rights, political rights and principles of civil society and democracy are occurring there on a daily basis.
The story of the day today is that the brave opposition (MDC) candidate Morgan Tsvangirai is withdrawing from the run-off election on June 27th because it would not be free or fair. This may be one of the great understatements of the year, let alone the week. Robert Mugabe and his thugs have so violated every principle of democratic elections and civil rights through terror, election rigging, intimidation, murder, torture, rape and withdrawal of aid for the starving citizens of Zimbabwe that it would be hard to argue that any government except that of Myanmar has behaved as badly towards its citizens. The organization Genocide Watch issued a statement last week identifying the action of the ruling ZANU-PF party, their militias, the army and police as Stage 6 - the Preparation Stage immediately preceding political mass murder.
On Thursday I received a list of all the opposition supporters who have been murdered for their beliefs over the last 7 weeks. Here's entry number 68:
Dadirayi Chipiro in Mhondoro on Sunday, June 08, 2008
A Zanu PF gang came to her home looking for her husband Chipiro who is an MDC activist and chairperson of the area. When they did not find him they started beating her then chopped off her hand and both feet, they threw her into her hut and threw a petrol bomb into the hut setting it on fire. She was burnt to death.
At the website of The Kubatana Trust of Zimbabwe you can see images and read descriptions of what the people of Zimbabwe are enduring as they attempt to fight tyranny with advocacy and action. Be warned the images are brutal.
The Kubatana Trust and their partners deserve far broader support than they are receiving.
Every threat to civil society anywhere in the world should be considered a threat to you and me and our common humanity.
We all need to wake up and get involved. The Huffington Post can give this story more coverage, the Bush administration should put pressure on South Africa and other African nations to intervene, the United Nations Security Council should take action and the rest of us should support organizations that are trying to help ensure democracy finds its way back into Zimbabwe, once a great African nation.
James Morton
1100 - 5255 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
M2N 6P4
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