Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) MDC supporters allege harassment in the UK

MDC supporters allege harassment in the UK
Our reporter
Sat, 28 Jun 2008 10:44:00 +0000

A REPORT in the United Kingdom’s Independent newspaper alleges that agents of the Zimbabwean government are operational in the UK and are ‘harassing and intimidating Zimbabwean dissidents in Britain’ in an attempt to silence them. The report also alleges that these agents are trying to disrupt fund-raising activities of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change party.

“Mr Mugabe's ... security force, the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), is waging a highly-organised campaign to terrify the 4,000 MDC members living in the UK,” said the report.

“It involves surveillance, threats against family members in Zimbabwe, menacing late-night phone calls and bogus messages saying that fundraising activities are cancelled or disrupted,” added the report.

According to the weekly paper this news was confirmed by British security sources, “who said the targeting of dissidents and MDC members was stepped up in recent weeks” in the run-up to the presidential run-off election.

The report continues: “Police are investigating a number of incidents, including an alleged phone call to an MDC member who was told that his parents in Zimbabwe faced eviction unless he stopped criticising Mr Mugabe.”

The paper quotes MDC officials saying “a key target of the CIO operation appeared to be the money – between £5,000 and £10,000 a month, which was being sent from the UK to back Mr Tsvangirai's campaign until he withdrew from the ballot last week.”

Tendai Goneso, treasurer of the MDC's UK and Ireland branch, is quoted as saying: "It is a highly-organized and co-ordinated campaign to intimidate members and interrupt our ability to send money to support the presidential campaign. Mr Mugabe has exported the methods he has used against Zimbabweans at home to the heart of the former colonial power.”

Gonese is also said to have alleged that MDC-T members were filmed by alleged Zimbabwe government agents and had received phone calls saying they were on a ‘hitlist’ in Harare.

"Our members are being filmed, they are whispered to that they are doing the work of the 'white man', they receive phone calls saying they are on a list in Harare," he was quoted as saying.

The Independent, said it had carried out its own independent investigation which was ‘corroborated by British security sources’.

Areas identified where these tactics were rife included the West Midlands and The North (Wolverhampton) where reports had been received.

The Zimbabwe Guardian’s attempts to contact officials in Zimbabwe proved fruitless as many of them were said to be out of the office.

Labels: CIO, MDC

posted by MrK @ 7:04 PM