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HUMAN
RIGHTS IN ZIMBABWE
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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. |
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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. |
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Michael
Anthony SMITH |
| Born 27th October 1953. Nationality:
British |
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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. |
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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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