Sekai Holland detained in Zimbabwe
14th March 2008 - MDC Pressroom
HARARE---SEKAI Holland, an MDC national executive member and aspiring Senator for Chizhanje constituency, was today detained without charge for two hours at Harare Central Police Station for what the police said was in connection with the aborted prayer meeting in Highfield on 11 March 2007.
Holland, who is in her late 60s, was savagely beaten up and hospitalized together with other political and civic leaders last year. She only came back to Zimbabwe last month from Australia where she was receiving treatment for a broken leg she sustained when the police pounced on President Morgan Tsvangirai and other civic and political leaders at Machipisa police station following a court sanctioned rally which the police violently crushed.
Holland would have been amputated if she had not sought specialist treatment.
On Wednesday, Holland made an emotional address at a public meeting to commemorate the state brutality of 11 March in which she narrated her horrific ordeal at the hands of the police.
Today, the police accused Holland of supplying them with the wrong address on 11 March 2007.
The police also asked her the whereabouts of Grace Kwinjeh, another MDC national executive member who was also brutally assaulted together with other party leaders last year. Kwinjeh is now in South Africa.
The police released Holland after harassing her for more than five hours.
The detention of Holland shows that once again, the police have become complicit with the regime in intimidating members of the MDC ahead of the watershed polls on 29 March 2008.
We hope that the observers to the watershed polls, who only came into the country last week with less than two weeks to go before the election, are seeing for themselves the true nature of this regime. Holland has not committed any crime and the latest move is meant to instil fear in the people.
The people of Zimbabwe will not be intimated. They want a new Zimbabwe and a new beginning.
The MDC represents the change we can trust.
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- Dear Fellow Bloggers, For some time I have thought about starting a left of centre news and commentary service and I have tried to do this by using email. But as some good, but email overloaded friends have suggested, a better way to go may be by blogging. So here it is! Jenny's Red News. My primary interests are left of centre politics and the very important question of how can we get left of centre parties, groups and grouplets in Australia working together more co-operatively. The right of centre predominates politics in this country at the present time, and they are on the march. We on the left of centre need to work together more co-operatively and constructively to put the left of centre agenda out there, for the perusal and consumption of the Australian people. Particular topics that will be reported on and on which comments are welcome are: Industrial relations - Opposition to Workchoices Refugee and Asylum Seekers Human Rights Civil Liberties Opposition to the Welfare to Work Changes Health System Reform Aboriginal Health and Reconciliation Jenny Haines posted by JENNY'S RED NEWS at 12:50 AM 0 comments