Tag Archives: human rights
The Swazis who dare to demand democracy
You know a monarchy is feeling the heat when errant subjects face a beating with spikes. Last month, the prime minister of Swaziland, Barnabas Dlamini, threatened to use “sipakatane” — the beating of the feet with of metal or wooden … Continue reading
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Is Tsvangirai an anti-gay bigot like Mugabe?
The BBC recently reported that Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe’s prime minister and head of the opposition MDC, had declared support for Robert Mugabe’s refusal to protect gay rights in Zimbabwe’s new constitution. If his comments are accurate, they represent yet another … Continue reading
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If killing the boers is OK, how about blacks, women and gays?
ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu has defended Julius Malema’s lusty renditions of the infamous “kill the boers, they are rapists” song, arguing (according to this Sapa article) that the “the lyrics of the song had been quoted out of context”. “This … Continue reading
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Zimbabwe heading towards a Rwandan genocide
Once upon a time there was an African country that after several years of instability seemed to be moving shakily towards reform and democracy. Its ageing despotic president had signed a power-sharing deal with the opposition that created a unity … Continue reading
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South Africa exporting oppression with dodgy arms sales
South Africa’s National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) has approved the sale of South African-made weapons to Syria, Libya and Venezuela — three countries with appalling human rights records, the first two vicious dictatorships, the third a sham democracy that … Continue reading
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Massacres, forced labour haunt Zimbabwe diamond fields
Military control over diamond mining in Zimbabwe’s eastern Marange district has resulted in a brutal mix of massacres, forced labour, beatings and rape. This is according to a comprehensive report released last week by Human Rights Watch (HRW), the New … Continue reading
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Special Assignment to expose Zim prison horrors
Tonight at 9.30 pm on SABC3′s investigative journalism programme Special Assignment, there will be an expose on the horrors of Zimbabwe’s prisons. Below are some details from Special Assignment‘s website (thanks This is Zimbabwe): This Tuesday Special Assignment takes you … Continue reading
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When your views can kill you
In some countries, voicing your opinion can kill you. According to Global Voices Online: Omid Reza Mir Sayafi, a 29-year old Iranian blogger and journalist died in Evin Prison in Tehran on March 18. In December, he was sentenced to … Continue reading
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Two-year-old kid tortured in notorious Zim prison
There are no limits to the brutality that Zimbabwe’s Zanu PF government is prepared to employ in ensuring its continued grip on power. Recently, human rights activists and opposition supporters were abducted and thrown into the notorious Chikurubi Prison. Here … Continue reading
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Bloggers constitute bulk of jailed journos
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, an advocacy group aimed at defending the rights of journalists, most journalists in jail are those using the web as their medium of choice — like bloggers, online reporters and web editors (thanks, … Continue reading
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