NEWS: Mass Arrests in Zimbabwe Net Ten Thousand People in Days

In a flurry of police actions, Zimbabwean law enforcement officials have conducted a sweeping detainment of 'economic saboteurs.' Ten Thousand people have reportedly been arrested, for crimes ranging from traffic citations to trading in foreign currency. The effort on the part of President Mugabe to get his country's economy back on track is receiving mixed reviews from the citizens. Those who voted for him in the last election are not complaining very loudly, while those who voted against him feel they are being punished.



When I read this, I immediately thought back to a month or so ago, when an operation in the states netted 10k fugitives in a week. It struck an odd chord...

The crimes mentioned may not be the only crimes prosecuted in this dragnet, but they seem to have been the focus of the operation, if you believe Mugabe. He's concerned that people are trading without the state getting a cut of the action, via taxes and currency devaluation.

It will be interesting to see what sort of spin this story develops in the mainstream..I'm pretty sure it's shaping up to be a perfect spiral...

Related News Links:
www.csmonitor.com
abcnews.go.com
www.guardian.co.uk

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
NEWS: Operation Falcon Captures 10,000 Fugitives During Week Long Dragnet.

[edit on 25-5-2005 by WyrdeOne]

Zimbabwean officials announced another 7000 arrests, in addition to the earlier batch.

That means about 17k people have been arrested in the last week or so, and are being held right now.

This was a politically motivated round up of dissenters and malcontents, IMO.

He says he's cracking down on unliscensed vendors to promote a healthy economy, but Mugabe's policies have led to sharply increased prices and long lines for basic necessities like bread.

news.bbc.co.uk...

The only reason why the western world has not got involved with Zimbabwe like they did in Iraq to "free" the people and bring "democracy" is simple...

THERE'S NO OIL THERE!.....

There are tons of natural resources in Zimbabwe.

coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals

According to the CIA anyway, and they should know.

The thing is, there's no need for anything but slave labor since all the resources require a bare minimum of cheap and dirty labor, so the international business collective is perfectly happy to leave Zimbabwe in the hands of warlords.

This story is out of date. The number of those arrested is closer to 30k at this point. The mass arrests continue.

UPDATE
The UN is dispatching an envoy to investigate the mass arrests and the demolition of homes, which some claim led to deaths, perhaps even children.

Link

Mugabe's defense is essentially that he is demolishing the homes and shanty towns to make way for better housing. He defends the mass arrests by saying the criminals are injuring the economy of the country (most of the offenders are street vendors without papers).

I don't know how much good the UN, or the press for that matter, can do. I think the spin is pretty much in place at this point, and the bad guy has been l;abeled as such. Whether or not he really is a bad guy, I couldn't say. I don't really know him.

Any other information about this man, his policies, and the relative craziness of his opponents? Judge a man by his enemies, they say...

Opinions?

[edit on 27-6-2005 by WyrdeOne]

I hear via the "grapevine" that there is a bounty on old Mugabe's head of over a million dollars US.

On the other hand I know of a few million people who will be quite prepared to do it for free!

So where is the U.N? Where is America? Where is Bush protecting democracy this time?

Oh wait...no Oil so we let him get on with it.

It's a shame, but annoyingly nothing we can do. Our Governments no longer care for people, as can be seen by Blair sending those people back and the inability of the Labour Government and the Queen to defend the Commonwealth like they should be.

This thread is about Zimbabwe, not America or any other nation. Let's keep to the topic please.

Originally posted by Odium
So where is the U.N? Where is America? Where is Bush protecting democracy this time?

Oh wait...no Oil so we let him get on with it.

It's a shame, but annoyingly nothing we can do. Our Governments no longer care for people, as can be seen by Blair sending those people back and the inability of the Labour Government and the Queen to defend the Commonwealth like they should be.

Intrepid: You are right about this thread being about Zimbabwe but Odium does have a point here and it is relevant in my opinion.

Actually that is very much on topic.

America has placed themselves as World Police, by there actions over the last 4 years yet they apply a double standard which is clear.

It is the United Kingdom's role to protect the Commonwealth, which Zimbabwe is part of and to protect the people of the Commonwealth.

It is the United Nations role to protect people and their liberty.

Both of the above Nations are members of the Security Council of the United Nations and are doing nothing to protect these people as normal.

The UN's role in international collective security is defined by the UN Charter, which gives the Security Council the power to:

• Investigate any situation threatening international peace;
  
• Recommend procedures for peaceful resolution of a dispute;
  
• Call upon other member nations to completely or partially interrupt economic relations as well as sea, air, postal, and radio communications, or to sever diplomatic relations; and
  
• Enforce its decisions militarily, if necessary.

Zimbabwe will not comply with anything we have done to them or asked them to do, the banning of travel, import and/or exports have not worked and are only harming the general population and not the leadership and still the "World Police" do not do anything. It was very much on topic.

If you want I can go down the road on International Law? I know a damn lot more about it than most people on this forum ever will and I know Zimbabwe is breaking it. As per-normal, I was on topic and as per-normal certain people dislike what the truth is.

How does it not involve America?

How does it not involve the United Kingdom?

How does it not involve the United Nations?

A spokesperson of the US embassy in South Africa, Judy Moon, stated in an interview on E-TV on Thursday 13 September 2001, that “everyone has to work together to stop terrorism” and that nations and governments who harbour and assist these terrorists “should be isolated from the world community”.

Mr. Colin Powell also declared: “We [the US] will hold accountable any country who acts as hosts to these terrorists.” He said on CNN that the US is prepared to go after the perpetrators of terrorist deeds, not only those directed against the United States, but against civilisation, no matter where.

If this is indeed your intention, the Afrikaners of South Africa would like to know whether you are prepared to denounce the terror being perpetrated against farmers in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

To show its consistency the US government should state its official position with respect to the atrocious deeds of terror directed against the farmers of South Africa in which some 1100 farmers (and the members of their families) have died since 1994. These are unmistakable acts of terror directed against civilisation, by people who have clearly chosen the Boer farmers as their targets of preference.

Solution:

• That the US government openly and unequivocally condemn the ongoing attacks on the farmers in South Africa and Zimbabwe as unacceptable deeds of terrorism;

• That the US government calls for the cessation of the infamous policy adopted by the ANC (African national Congress) /SACP (South African Communist Part) regime on so-called “land reform”, as this policy only serves to encourage the terrorists to attack white farmers in South Africa and Zimbabwe;

• That the US government explicitly repudiate the editorial published in the New York Times on March 31, 2001, in which it was openly suggested that the attacks on the farmers in South Africa were justified, because of the treatment received by black workers on these farms - as such false propaganda can only encourage acts of violence and terror against the white farmers and their families in South Africa.

If the United States government wants to be seen as a credible force against terrorism in the world, and as a nation who is prepared to stand for civilised values, your position on the above demands should be urgently clarified.

UPDATE

UN condemns Mugabe's program to demolish slums.

news.bbc.co.uk...

Where does it go from here? Armed intervention?