ROY BENNETT, Zimbabwe - Father, Farmer, Compatriot - Man of the people

Roy Bennett – Man of the People (“Enemy of the State”) ZIMBABWE

On October 28th 2004, Roy Bennet (MDC MP for Chimanimani) was sentenced by the Parliament of Zimbabwe to an effective one-year in prison with labour. This sentence is unprecedented throughout the world.

His crime was to push over the Minister of Justice, Patrick Chinamasa, in Parliament after Chinamasa had once again insulted and provoked Roy by calling his late Father and Grandfather “thieves and murderers”.

This “offence” would have attracted a maximum US$15.00 fine had it been tried in a Zimbabwean court and in all probability Roy would have received a mere caution. Instead, Parliament used its own powers to get a biased committee dominated by ZANU PF to “investigate” the incident. Then in a vote, which was divided down party political lines, Roy was sentenced to this iniquitous sentence of imprisonment. The Parliamentary procedures used to undertake this action are suspect and under appeal.

This is the culmination of over four years of relentless political persecution against Roy, his family, friends, workers and colleagues. In that time Roy has been arrested twice and assaulted three times. Roy’s wife Heather suffered a miscarriage when, over 2 months pregnant, she was held hostage and then forcibly and illegally evicted from their home by ZANU PF supporters. Two of the men who worked for Roy have been murdered by members of the security forces and another was shot and wounded. Three young female workers have been raped.

Hundreds more workers and constituents in Chimanimani (eastern Zimbabwe) have been viciously beaten by State agents or detained without charge. None of the ZANU PF and State agents responsible for these crimes have ever been prosecuted or even arrested.

Over 800 people have been forcibly evicted from their homes in Chimanimani and the Bennetts’ house has been looted and vandalised. They have been forced off two properties and lost almost all their possessions and capital. State agents have also killed or stolen hundreds of cows and have stolen over 150 tons of coffee.

Roy has pursued every legal avenue to protect his staff, constituents and family members from state harassment. No less than six court orders have been granted in Roy’s favour. The government, the police, the army, the Central Intelligence Organisation and ZANU-PF war veterans have ignored each order with impunity.

On at least two occasions President Robert Mugabe has threatened Roy publicly and encouraged ZANU-PF supporters to force him from the land.

Roy has documented every attack against himself and his staff. He has hundreds of affidavits, documents, autopsy reports and photographs chronicling events over the past five years.

Roy is now being kept in appalling conditions in a Zimbabwean prison. He is a victim of political persecution. He is a prisoner of conscience.