HUMAN RIGHTS IN ZIMBABWE
This site is dedicated to increasing public awareness of the plight of the last three political prisoners from the South African apartheid era, in the hope that public opinion worldwide may help deliver these men from an appalling existence in a prison which breaches every international Human Rights convention, and many national statutes.
Philip Mazisa CONJWAYO
Born 8th January 1933 in Gwelo in Southern Rhodesia. Nationality: Zimbabwean. 20/12/1952, joined the BSAP (Rhodesian Police) 20/12/1960 transferred from Uniformed Branch to Criminal Investigations Department (CID). In April 1962 was attached to the Special Branch/Security Branch until he retired on pension in November 1980.
Michael Anthony
SMITH
Born 27th October 1953. Nationality: British
Kevin John WOODS
Born 5th November 1952 in Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia. Nationality: South African. Joined the BSAP in March 1971, ending up as Officer in Charge of the Crime Prevention Unit (CPU) in July 1980, when he resigned and moved to South Africa. It is speculated that it was at this time that the South African National Intelligence Service (NIS) recruited Kevin. He returned to Zimbabwe and joined the BSAP's successor the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) in January 1981. A year later, having played a leading role in uncovering an illegal weapons cache, he was transferred to Zimbabwe's secret police, the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), in which he attained a very high rank.
Philip Conjwayo, Mike Smith and Kevin Woods have been incarcerated in Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison in Zimbabwe since 1988, following convictions based on evidence that included confessions made under extreme duress. For this reason alone, their convictions would be deemed unsafe by every judicial system in the civilised world.

During their period of imprisonment, they have suffered the most barbaric and inhuman treatment, which, even if they were guilty as charged, is unwarranted.
Woods, Smith and Conjwayo were sentenced to death in November 1988. They spent 5 years in solitary confinement and were allowed ˝ an hour out of their small concrete cells each morning and afternoon. Shortly after conviction, they were forced to spend one and a half years naked. Even during the winter they had no clothing and no blankets. They spent 21 months without sunlight. They were allowed to receive 1 letter per month. They were allowed to write only 1 single-page letter per month. They were permitted one visit from one family member per month. Visits at Chikurubi are of 15 minutes duration and are carried out on monitored and tape-recorded telephones through double glass. After 2 years on Death Row they successfully obtained relief from the Supreme Court in Zimbabwe to double their time out of their cells each day.
 

 

 

 

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