Bulawayo Five Released

national | miscellaneous | news report Tuesday March 26, 2002 15:02 by Revolutionary African - ISO Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean socialists beaten and jailed

Five students held since Thursday have been released. They were badly beaten but they are determined to continue the fight.

Five students arrested in Bulawayo have been released. Hundreds of
students and activists gathered outside the police station calling for
them to be freed.

The students were arrested on Thursday for supporting the stayaway
called by the ZCTU at the university. They were violently beaten. A
national and international campaign was launched to pressurise the
government for their release.

The Canadian Federation of Students, the British National Union of
Students and trade unionists and socialists from around the world
called
the police station in Bulawayo, one caller ended his call with the
words
"The world is watching. You will not get away with this."

The station was inundated with calls, and the pro-opposition newsapaper
The Daily News also received letters. None were printed. MDC officials
refused to speak out for the students, one prominant MP claimed that
there was 'nothing they could do.'

One of the reasons for the failure of the MDC to support the students
is
because they were associated with the International Socialist
Organisation (ISO) - who have been critical of the vacillations
and neoliberalism of the MDC.

The students are on remand until the 9 April. They were met by cheering
supporters when they emerged from the court. The coordinator of the
campaign, Hopewell Gumbo, said "This is a victory for the students,
they
have braved police brutality for four days and have emerged ready to
renew the fight for freedom and revolution."

John Bomba, one of the students arrested and a leading activist spoke
to
zimbabwe.indymedia.

"They beat us regularly. It was a violent ordeal but we have emerged
stronger. You need a strong will, to know what you are fighting for and
be strong in that fight. They singled me out for my connection and
profile as a member of ISO. They know the threat we pose. We unfurled
banners declaring that 'Workers and Students United Will Never be
Defeated'. They tried to defeat us today that they failed.

``International support helped enormously. They felt the pressure. Once
they came into the cells and said that they were getting all these
calls. They would have detained us longer if it hadn't been for
this action. Once again socialists have demonstrated that revolutionary
solidarity is not a word it is an action.

``I can say that they tried to break us but we have emerged stronger
and
more ready to fight."