HomepageHowcomyoucomRaceandHistoryRootsWomenTrinicenter
Homepage
Rastafari Speaks Archive
Buy Books
ARCHIVE HOMEMESSAGE BOARDREASONING FORUMARTICLESNEWS WEBLOG

Read Only : Rastafari Speaks Reasoning Archives

Rastafari Speaks Archive

PROTEST NOW!!

PROTEST NOW!!
EMAIL YOUR PROTESTS TO: mwwashdc@erols.com
FAX TO: 1.202.483.7661
PHONE TO: 202.328.2700 and 202.328.2788
==========================================

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1705000/1705577.stm

Malawi police shoot protesters

Matafale died in police custody

Police in Malawi have opened fire on Rastafarians and student
demonstrators in the university town of Zomba, east of the commercial
city of Blantyre, seriously injuring at least two people and
arresting three others.
Witnesses say a riot erupted when officers tried to break up a
protest against the death in police custody of the outspoken reggae
musician Evison Matafale.

I saw a student who was shot in the neck

University student

The BBC's Rapheal Tenthani in Malawi says the shooting began after
police fired tear gas into university buildings, causing chaos.

Protests also took place in Blantyre and in the south of the country
over the musician's death.

Investigations

Matafale died three days after he was arrested for allegedly writing
a seditious letter to President Bakili Muluzi.

"I saw a student who was shot in the neck", one student told Reuters
news agency.

Police have confirmed the clashes but not the use of live ammunition,
which they say they are investigating.

They also say those arrested were students in possession
of "pamphlets and defamatory letters".

Tense

Our correspondent says the situation is still tense Wednesday as one
of the injured students is in a critical condition in hospital.

Mr Muluzi's government is intolerant of critics

He says the demonstrations were also against the rising cost of
living and the arrest of a businessman on Monday who was charged with
writing at least 100 critical letters to President Muluzi and his
government.

Nelson Shaba - who is also an opposition activist - is detained in
Zomba.

Mr Shaba has been charged with sedition for writing the letters in
the form of petitions on issues ranging from police brutality to MPs
conduct in Parliament.

Free speech

Sedition is currently considered a less serious offence during than
it was during the rule of the former president-for-life, the late
Hastings Kamuzu Banda.

Mr Shaba, who says he fears for his life, said his letters "have been
advisory" to the president and his government.

His lawyer has described his arrest as contrary to the spirit of the
constitution, which guarantees free speech

Messages In This Thread

PROTEST NOW!!
Re: PROTEST NOW!!
MALAWI PROTEST


FAIR USE NOTICE:
This site may at times contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml


Copyright © 2003-2014 RastafariSpeaks.com & AfricaSpeaks.com