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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 05-07-2001

PART #4/4 - From TUNISIA to ZIMBABWE

* Tunisie. Prisonniers d’opinion - Appel commun — Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch et la Fédération internationale des droits de l’homme se sont associés, le 29 juin, aux organisations de défense des droits de l’homme tunisiennes afin de demander au gouvernement tunisien la libération immédiate et inconditionnelle de tous les prisonniers d’opinion et la fin du harcèlement quotidien subi par les anciens prisonniers d’opinion et les opposants au gouvernement. Depuis deux semaines, la répression à l’encontre des opposants au gouvernement s’est durcie, et des personnalités importantes ont été arrêtées, poursuivies en justice ou bien arbitrairement empêchées de voyager. Près de mille prisonniers politiques, pour la plupart des prisonniers d’opinion, se trouvent dans les geôles tunisiennes, où ils reçoivent un traitement cruel, inhumain et dégradant, poursuit la déclaration des trois organisations, qui demandent au gouvernement tunisien de “libérér tous les prisonniers d’opinion et de mettre fin à toutes les formes de harcèlement. Toute autre mesure constituerait un manquement à ses engagements internationaux”. (AI, HRW et FIDH, 29 juin 2001)

* Tunisia. Human rights organisations call for release of prisoners — In a joint statement on 29 June, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the International Federation of Human Rights, joined Tunisian human rights organisations today in calling on the government of Tunisia immediately and unconditionally to release all prisoners of conscience and end the routine harassment of former prisoners of conscience and critics of the authorities. The three organisations said the move must cover all known or suspected government opponents or human rights activists who have been imprisoned, prosecuted or harassed simply for the peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of opinion, expression or association. (Amnesty International, 29 June 2001)

* Tunisia. Human rights quandary — The arrest on 26 June of Sihem Ben Sedrine, journalist and spokesperson for the National Council of Liberties in Tunisia (CNLT), has yet again focused international attention on the political situation in Tunisia. The arrest was condemned as a flagrant violation of civil liberties by several human rights organizations. Ben Sedrine’s arrest also triggered a series of demonstrations in several European cities over the weekend and spurred the ruling Socialist Party in France, which still has strong economic and political ties with its former North African colony, to call for more respect for people’s rights in Tunisia. Ben Sedrine was arrested after a Tunisian judge sued her for defamation. During a TV debate on the London-based Al-Mustaqilla Arabic TV Channel late last month, she quoted the judge as saying the Tunisian judiciary was controlled by the government. The statement led to a lawsuit against her and drew an indignant reaction from the Association of Tunisian Judges which accused Ben Sedrine of making unsubstantiated claims and spreading false information. The case will be tried on 5 July. But human rights activists say Ben Sedrine’s case is the latest in a series of arrests, which suggest that the Tunisian authorities are determined to stifle liberties and crack down on dissent. They point to the arrest of several prominent opponents including Mohamed Moada, a former political prisoner and seasoned politician who sent a letter to President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali condemning the «lack of political pluralism» in Tunisia. Ben Ali has led the ruling Rassemblement Démocratique Constitutionnel since his 1987 take-over from the late President Habib Bourguiba who was declared unfit to rule by his doctors. Last February, Ben Ali told the Party that it will remain «the party of leadership today and tomorrow» because it helped the country make giant steps on the road of progress. Tunisia today is one of Africa’s success stories. The economy has consistently grown at a rate over four per cent in recent  years supported by a dynamic tourist industry which attracts an annual four million foreign visitors. But government critics say to achieve this economic success the government sacrificed political freedom. Many Tunisians who may have supported the President’s crack down on the Islamists in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s now say more human rights and freedom of expression are the real guarantors of political stability. (AllAfrica, 3 July 2001)

* Ouganda. Résultats des législatives — Victoire plutôt amère pour Museveni. Le président garde une majorité parlementaire, mais l’opposition prend un place importante. Les élections se sont déroulées dans un contexte un peu particulier. Les candidats se sont présentés individuellement en non en tant que représentants de partis, le multipartisme étant interdit. La presse rapporte que l’opposition est passée de 14 sièges à près d’un quart de l’Assemblée, qui compte au total 295 députés. Au moins une douzaine de ministres et une cinquantaine de parlementaires influents sortants ont subi une défaite retentissante. Les résultats officiels n’ont pas encore été annoncés, mais il semble que les opposants à Museveni ont triomphé dans un grand nombre de circonscriptions. La participation électorale n’aurait pas dépassé les 50%. (Misna, Italie, 28 juin 2001)

* Uganda. Mountains of the Moon park reopens to tourists — The Ugandan government reopened the Rwenzori Mountains National Park to tourists on 2 July, nearly four years after rebel activity forced the closing of one of the country’s premier tourist attractions. «There has been a 100 percent reassurance that it is safe and you can all come and visit,» Tourism Minister Edward Rugumayo said at the official reopening in the Ugandan capital. The snow-clad Rwenzoris, also known as Ptolemy’s Mountains of the Moon, have been used since 1996 as a base for the Allied Democratic Forces, a rebel group seeking to overthrow the Ugandan government. But the army says it has been able to reoccupy the mountains and purge the rebels. «There is not a single ADF in the Rwenzoris,» army chief of staff Brigadier James Kazini told tour operators and reporters at the opening ceremony. About 2,000 soldiers will remain permanently in the mountains and the army says it will build helicopter landing sites at strategic locations to allow for speedy troop deployment. The army also continues to occupy the part of eastern Congo adjacent to the mountains. (CNN, USA, 3 July 2001)

* Zambie. Sommet de Lusaka — Le 29 juin, la Zambie a annoncé que 41 pays avaient confirmé leur participation au sommet de l’OUA à Lusaka, prévu du 9 au 11 juillet, et dont l’un des temps forts sera le remplacement de l’organisation continentale par l’Union africaine. Ces pays seront représentés par leur chef d’Etat ou de gouvernement. Entre  2.000 et 3.000 délégués devraient arriver à Lusaka à l’occasion de ce sommet historique. L’Acte constitutif de l’Union africaine a été adopté par les gouvernements africains en juillet 2000 à Lomé, et est entré en vigueur le 26 mai 2001, quand 45 des 53 pays membres de l’OUA avaient ratifié cet Acte, ce qui permettait juridiquement la création effective de l’organisation. Le 2 juillet, s’est ouverte à Lusaka une réunion du comité des ambassadeurs et plénipotentiaires accrédités auprès de l’OUA, qui doit notamment préparer les détails de la mise en oeuvre effective et la création des institutions de l’Union africaine. La réunion soumettra son rapport au Conseil des ministres qui entameront leur réunion le 5 juillet en prélude au sommet. (PANA, Sénégal, 29/6-2/7 2001)

* Zambie. Fin de grève — Près de 150.000 enployés du secteur public ont cessé la grève qu’ils menaient depuis six semaines. Le gouvernement a cédé en leur promettant une augmentation de salaire, qui dans certains cas devrait dépasser les 90%. Les autorités ont dû trouver un compromis pour éviter que le pays se retrouve partiellement paralysé à l’occasion du sommet de l’OUA qui se tiendra la semaine prochaine. (Misna, Italie, 3 juillet 2001)

* Zambia. Civil servants end strike before OAU summit — Zambian civil servants ended a six-week strike on 2 July after the government agreed to hefty pay rises to avert a stand-off during an Organisation of African Unity (OAU) summit in Lusaka next week. Nearly 150,000 public sector employees, including teachers, local council and court employees, will receive pay hikes ranging from 81 to 91 percent. «The strike has been called off with immediate effect,» Civil Servants’ Union leader Leonard Hikaumba told Reuters. But he also warned the government not to renege on its agreement after the OAU summit, which begins with a ministerial session on July 7. The heads of state converge on the Zambian capital on July 9. The unions had demanded salary increases of between 100 and 250 percent, but union leaders said they would probably call for further adjustments later in the year. Zambia is one of the poorest countries in the world and civil service salaries average between $50 and $71 a month. An average monthly bill for water and electricity is $60. The strike had hit public services hard, with hospitals manned by skeleton staff, court cases postponed and teachers staying away from schools. The Civil Servants Union, National Union of Public Workers, Teachers’ Union and local council workers said the breakthrough had come over the weekend. The deal took effect on July 1. Senior OAU officials said they had urged Zambian President Frederick Chiluba to resolve the strike because it posed a security threat to the summit. A government-backed group called the National Organisation for Civil Education said in  comments published on 2 July in local newspapers that some non-government organisations and opposition parties had planned to disrupt the OAU summit. (CNN, USA, 3 July 2001)

* Zambia. OAU summit — 3 July: All treaties and conventions adopted by the policy organs of the OAU but pending entry into force, are to be reviewed to bring them in line with changes attendant to the new dispensation of the African Union. African ambassadors accredited to the OAU approved the move, today at their 13th ordinary session in Lusaka, Zambia. Since its inception in 1963, the OAU‘s policy organs have adopted 22 treaties and conventions, out of which 14 have entered into force, one of them provisionally. Eight others have not come into force for lack of the necessary instruments of ratification. These would now be reviewed by the OAU Secretariat in tune with the Constitutive Act of the African Union, which African leaders are expected to formally launch at their 37th regular summit in Lusaka 9-11 July. The ambassadors also approved a proposal imposing penalties on member states that owe arrears of assessed contributions for two years. They also approved the Secretary-General’s report calling for the extension of the OAU‘s drug control project in Africa, which is being implemented in collaboration with the UN Drug Control Programme (UNDPC). 4 July: The UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, will proclaim the African Union at the summit. (PANA, Senegal, 3-4 July 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Nouvelles violences politiques — La tension monte dans la province du Mashonaland central (nord-est) à l’approche du nouveau scrutin électoral prévu les 28 et 29 juillet. Il faut en effet revoter pour remplacer le ministre de la Jeunesse, Border Gezi, décédé il y a un mois dans un accident de voiture. La situation est particulièrement critique au sein du collège électoral du chef-lieu Bindura. La semaine dernière, des sympathisants du parti au pouvoir, le ZANU-PF, ont mis le feu et pillé des villages prenant pour cible les partisans de l’opposition. La presse locale rapporte qu’au moins une personne a été grièvement blessée, d’autres plus légèrement. De nombreux paysans de la province, craignant une recrudescence de la violence politique, ont préféré quitter leurs maisons, désertant quasiment des villages entiers. (Misna, Italie, 27 juin 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Réforme agraire — Le président Mugabe vient d’annoncer qu’il compte saisir 2.030 fermes supplémentaires pour les octroyer à des fermiers noirs pauvres, dans le cadre de sa réforme agraire controversée. Le Zimbabwe compte près de 5.500 fermes commerciales, dont 95% sont désormais sur les listes d’expropriation. (Le Figaro, France, 2 juillet 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Armed War Vets terrorise villagers — Armed bands of former Zipra combatants have caused panic among the civilian population on the new resettlement areas in the Nyamandlovu area, north-west of Bulawayo. The war veterans are said to be harassing suspected supporters of the Movement for Democratic Change, and sexually abusing women settlers. According to some settlers at one resettlement scheme near Deli, groups of rowdy war veterans, some clutching Kalashnikov combat rifles, roam the resettlement areas on a daily basis, intimidating those who do not possess Zanu PF membership cards. Seven settlers were reported to have abandoned the new homes after war veterans kept on harassing and threatening to kill them. «Nobody feels safe in this place because of harassment by war veterans. Whenever we make reports to the Nyamandlovu police, they tell us they can’t touch war vets,» one villager told The Standard during a recent visit. «There is complete lawlessness in this country and something must be done to stop the harassment of civilians by these war veterans,» said Kabelo Mlothswa, who claimed to have been tortured by three war veterans. Sometimes, the war veterans invade white-owned farms and ranches in the district and demand fresh milk and amasi (a dairy product). If the farmers refuse to give them the milk and game meat, they are severely assaulted. Police in Nyamandlovu refused to speak to The Standard saying they were instructed not to talk to journalists from the independent media. The officer who answered the phone told the paper to send questions to Harare. (Zimbabwe Standard, 2 July 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Grève générale — La Centrale syndicale zimbabwéenne (ZCTU) a lancé un appel à la grève générale les 3 et 4 juillet pour protester contre une augmentation massive (70%) du prix de l’essence, contre la mauvaise gestion de l’économie et pour le respect des droits de l’homme, malgré l’interdiction qui lui a été faite par le gouvernement. L’armée est mobilisée toute la semaine pour éviter que les manifestations ne tournent au chaos. -Le 3 juillet, dans tout le pays la plupart des magasins, des banques et des usines sont restés fermés. Selon les leaders syndicaux, la grève a paralysé les trois quarts de l’économie du pays. Le 4 juillet, la grève s’est poursuivie dans le calme. Trois journalistes photographes mis en garde à vue, accusés d’avoir entravé l’action de la police, ont été libérés. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 5 juillet 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Government faces opposition — 2 June: Zimbabwean riot police have been patrolling Harare’s poor townships, today, ahead of a two-day national strike over soaring fuel prices. But union leaders said there was no danger of violence from their members. The main labour movement has called the strike for  3-4 July after President Robert Mugabe’s government refused to reverse a nearly 70% rise in fuel prices announced on 12 June. The government has declared the strike illegal and promised to protect workers who ignore the call by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), which has 1.2 million members. In a joint statement the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries and the Employers Confederation of Zimbabwe said the strike would further hurt the country’s struggling economy. The statement said the ZCTU must talk to the government ahead of the strike. In Zimbabwe’s second city, Bulawayo, police said they were ready to deal with violence. 3 June: Police mounted extra patrols and road-blocks in the country’s main cities, today, as the two-day national strike begins to protest fuel price hikes. The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions says all 32 of its affiliate unions have endorsed the action in protest against last month’s 73 per cent increase in fuel prices. 4 June: Many businesses, especially in industrial areas have been shut down by the strike. — Opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, says he has secured pledges from Europe and the USA to provide independent observers for next years presidential election when he will stand against President Mugabe. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 5 July 2001)