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Dear comrades and Friends,
The Pan Africanism Today Secretariat is deeply concerned about erasing fundamental decencies in many parts of the African Continent.
In the past week, we have been appalled by the brazen actions of unpopular and anti-democratic African governments, who are trampling on the rights of their people. Three specific instances demand our immediate attention:
- Today, we were deeply disturbed to learn that the leader of the opposition in Zambia, Dr Fred M’membe, was unjustly arrested on fabricated charges. Dr M’membe has been subjected to a pattern of harassment, with multiple arrests under false pretences, interrogation in remote police stations, and no substantial evidence against him. These arrests are nothing but a crude form of intimidation.
- Similarly, today, activists from the Communist Party of Kenya and the Mathare Social Justice Centre (Kinuthia Ndung’u, George Kiritu, Davis Tafari, and Samuel Gathanga) were arrested for articulating the will of the Kenyan people against the backdrop of William Ruto’s insistence on using his elected office to represent the IMF instead of the Kenyan People.
- Earlier this week, the regime Mswati III in Swaziland, through proxies, initiated a witch-hunt for comrade Mlungisi Makhanya, the president of PUDEMO. They are offering a reward of R400 000 to anyone who can arrest this important leader of the struggle for democracy in Swaziland.
We join all peace-loving people in the world in denouncing this repression. Countries cannot be run as though we are characters in a fictional gangster film. The regimes of Kenya, Zambia and Swaziland are unpatriotic and have placed the interests of international exploiters over the will of their people. Those fighting for their people’s freedom must be celebrated, not arrested and bullied.
We urge all progressive formations to stand in solidarity with our comrades and issue statements condemning these acts of repression!
Onwards!
Jonis Ghedi Alasow
On behalf of the PAT Secretariat.