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REF: HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE IN ZANZIBAR ISLAND
Recent developments in Zanzibar show that the authorities there have
taken a big step backwards in terms of human rights. Rampant and
deplorable human rights abuses came to light during a series of events
which led to confrontations between the police and followers of an
Islamic organisation called UAMSHO (Awakening).
UAMSHO, a registered NGO, has been active in Zanzibar for a number of
years now. In addition to its religious activities, it has taken part
in observing elections, has produced well-researched reports on past
elections and has provided civic education to the populace. The
organisation has a wide grass root support within the community.
Recently it has been actively championing for the restoration of
Zanzibar's sovereignty.
The government has accused it for inciting its followers to commit
unlawful activities. UAMSHO denies it and has on its part accused
government security apparatuses of inflicting harm on its followers
during their peaceful demonstrations. This pattern of accusations and
counter accusations culminated last month with the three day
mysterious 'disappearance' of a charismatic leader of UAMSHO, Sheikh
Farid Ahmed Hadi. UAMSHO maintained that the Sheikh was abducted by
the security forces, a charge which the government denied.
However, when Sheikh Farid resurfaced he too intimated that he had
been abducted by the security organs. The government's response was
to promptly arrest him together with his fellow leaders and to charge
with several criminal offences. This came as no surprise as for weeks
rumours were rife that the government was under pressure by diehards
of the Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM), Tanzania's ruling party, to ban
UAMSHO. It is not our intention to judge the merit or demerit of the
case as it is sub-judice.
What is troubling us is the well prepared measures to humiliate all
the detainees connected with UAMSHO. By their actions the state organs
have shown that they are bent on humiliating and dehumanizing the
UAMSHO detainees. For example, despite knowing very well how Muslims
sheikhs cherish their beards the sadist jailers have found it proper
to forcefully shorn them of their beards. They did it even before the
accused were brought to court for the first time. Defence lawyers
have publicly complained of other forms of mistreatment meted out to
the detainees. These include, denying them the opportunity to offer
their obligatory prayers, denying them a change of clothes since their
arrest and inhuman prison conditions. No doubt the jailers what they
do to satisfy their primitive sense of power, to show Zanzibaris that
they are capable of doing whatever they want to do and nobody can
question them.
It is sad to note that the government has remained silent to all these
injustices. The detainees constitutional rights are denied. The
protests of their lawyers have fallen on deaf ears. In the meantime,
indiscriminate harassment of ordinary citizens continues unabated. All
those suspected of being sympathetic to UAMSHO are publicly
brutalized. It reminds us of the dark days of Zanzibar when there was
no respect for human rights.
We, therefore, appeal to all human rights activists to urge the
Tanzanian and Zanzibar governments to impress upon their state organs
the urgent need of according each and every citizen their human
rights.
Copy:
Human Right Watch – UK
High Commissioner of United Republic of Tanzania – UK
High Commissioner of Republic of Kenya – UK
High Commissioner of Uganda – UK
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