From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Mr Aaron Barnhart)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: IPS: MALAWI: Human rights abuse continue
Date: 11 Sep 92 13:41:57 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois
Originator: barnhart@gagme

Title: MALAWI: Human rights abuse continues, says Amnesty /EMBARGOED/


attn editors: the following item is under embargo and may not be
published or otherwise reproduced until 00.01 hrs gmt, thursday
sep. 3, 1992

london, sep 3 (ips/moyiga nduru) -- ''the human rights situation
in malawi is very, very serious indeed,'' says anna stuttard of
the human rights group amnesty international.

''we have reports of 285 people being crammed into one cell, of
people being kept in leg irons, of severe beatings and electric
shock,'' she added.

stuttard was commenting on an amnesty report on malawi published
thursday, which called for the release of ''hundreds of political
detainees'' in the tiny landlocked southern african nation, jailed
by the one-party state led by life-president dr kamuzu banda.

banda, 82, has resisted popular demands from his eight million
people to introduce a multi-party democracy. pro-democracy
activists have been locked up, tortured and charged with treason.

prominent among them is veteran trade union leader chakufwa
chihana, who was arrested in april as he tried to read a speech.
he was held in leg irons, cut off from the outside world, and
several times the police failed to present him in court.

eventually he was charged with sedition and released on bail -
but four days later he was back behind bars after police took him
into custody.

other well known prisoners, adopted by amnesty international as
prisoners of conscience, include orton chirwa, the leader of the
exiled malawi freedom movement (mfm), and his wife vera who were
kidnapped from zambia and imprisoned in 1981.

they were both sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted
to one of life imprisonment in 1984 after widespread international
pressure.

maja-pearce adewale of 'index on censorship' described malawi's
human rights situation as ''terrible'' and added that now
spiritual leaders have also become a target of the government.

in march all the country's bishops were arrested by the malawi
police for eight hours. their crime was writing a pastoral letter
about the political situation in the country.

president banda has warned that any dissenters would be ''food
for crocodiles''. opposition leaders in exile are aware of the
threat, even abroad, of abduction and assassination. (more/ips)

malawi: human rights abuse continues, says amnesty /embargoed/(2-e)

malawi: human rights abuse (2)

''you may think that we are safe here,'' said one opposition
exile. ''but, far from it, we are still the target of the malawi
secret police.'' the threat makes them reluctant to talk to the
media.

''unfortunately, all these things happen at a time when
neighbouring zambia has become a multi-party democracy and signs
are that mozambique and tanzania will follow suit,'' said tom
khumalo, a south african student who has been observing the
political situation in southern africa.

''it's a matter of time. i don't think banda will be able to
resist the will of the people,'' he observed.

few, however, think that banda, who has ruled malawi since
independence in the 1960s, will make some political reforms in a
bid to improve malawi's human rights situation.

this year banda has so far released about 60 political detainees.
but opposition say this is only a political ploy aimed to appease
donor countries who were becoming restless about malawi's human
rights record.

''what's worrying is that the situation in malawi doesn't appear
to be ending,'' stuttard noted. (end/ips/hr/mn/rj/92)



-- 
Mr. Aaron Barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us -- posting from Evanston, Illinois
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african,sanet.talk.politics,apc.reg.safrica