Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)

On behalf of Fine Gael, I am delighted to support the motion concerning the imprisonment of Roy Bennett, described as a man of the people but an enemy of the state. His imprisonment is a shameful act by a shameless Government.

One of the disappointing aspects of the recent by-elections in Meath and Kildare North was the low turn-out at the polls. Why did so many people not bother to exercise their democratic right and have their say through the ballot box? This should be a matter of concern to all of us who believe that participation is the key to ensuring a robust democracy. It is too easy to take the fact of our open democracy for granted. Candidates stand for election, fight campaigns and, ultimately, the people decide whether they will be given the responsibility of representation. However, the social stability that our democracy engenders works against it in terms of voter turn-out. Many people simply do not realise how lucky they are to have a vote and a Government that, while not perfect, is directly elected though a free and fair process. This is a privilege not accorded to millions of people worldwide.

This is especially true when we look at the situation in countries like Zimbabwe, which is due to hold elections in a few days. The international community must have grave concerns at the conduct of these elections as we are all aware of the conduct of past elections in that country. For the upcoming polls, the Zimbabwean Government indicated that it would conduct these elections in accordance with the principles and guidelines on democratic elections adopted by the Southern African Development Community in August 2004. However, there has been little sign of compliance. The European Union has not been invited to observe the upcoming elections, although other countries have been belatedly invited as observers.

I began with a reference to the recent by-elections held in Ireland. At a meeting of the European affairs committee earlier this month, the chairman of the Zimbabwean section of Amnesty International drew some important parallels between the then upcoming elections in Ireland and those in Zimbabwe. These parallels are frightening in bringing home to all of us the difficulties and dangers that political activists face in Zimbabwe today. At the meeting the chairman said:

If Zimbabwean conditions existed in Meath and Kildare, we would be horrified and scandalised. If we knew that half of the people running in the by-election were not sleeping in their own homes and were afraid to walk the streets of Navan or Kildare for fear of being murdered and that they had to escape out of the country and lived in seclusion, we would take the situation seriously. If a political party felt it had a stronghold in a particular residential area and it terrorised the community and informed it that it could discover whether people had voted for it, and if it cut the tongue from a member of the community to show how serious it was in its intimidation, we would take the situation seriously. These are some of the situations that occur in Zimbabwe.

The situation in Zimbabwe has been deteriorating for years and is of considerable concern to many countries. In February 2005, the European Union renewed its common position imposing targeted sanctions against Zimbabwe. However, systematic harassment of the members of the Movement for Democratic Change continues. That party is campaigning in the upcoming elections under the constant threat of violence or arbitrary arrest. The Zimbabwean Government continues its campaign of repression, which is aimed clearly at eliminating political opposition and silencing dissent. During 2004, hundreds of people were arrested for holding meetings or participating in peaceful protests. The police, army, youth militia and supporters of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front were implicated in numerous human rights violations, including torture, assault and arbitrary arrest.

In the past two years alone, the Zimbabwean Government has banned four newspapers and continues to use repressive legislation to disrupt the work of the MDC. Amnesty International recently stated that in its monitoring of the situation in Zimbabwe, it has witnessed the persistent and systematic violation of human rights by the State against the supporters of the opposition. In the run-up to elections in Zimbabwe, these occurrences must be of concern to us all. During this campaign there has reportedly been a significant level of harassment directed against opposition MDC candidates. There are reports of MDC MPs, candidates and campaigners being arrested and harassed during the course of campaigning. MPs have been arrested for holding meetings or for engaging in door-to-door canvassing. Whilst people are often detained for only a short period of time, their detention is a disgrace and hampers the fundamental rights of freedom of expression, association and assembly.

A basic principle of our electoral system is the secrecy of the ballot box but in Zimbabwe this secrecy has been significantly undermined. Reports indicate that people have been told that their votes will be seen and that ZANU-PF workers will know which way they have voted. Furthermore, votes will be counted in situ and the message has been put out that the Government will therefore know how many people in a locality voted for the opposition. The underlying threat is that this information will then be used against the local community.

It is in this context that I wish to address the case of Roy Bennett — man of the people, enemy of the state. In October 2004, Mr. Bennett was sentenced to 15 months in prison with hard labour. This sentence was handed down to him by the Mugabe-controlled Parliament, not by a court of law, through the use of a parliamentary procedure that failed to meet the requirements of a fair trial. The reason for this very harsh sentence was that Roy Bennett had pushed Patrick Chinamasa, the Zimbabwean Minister of Justice, in response to provocative jibes from Chinamasa that Bennett's ancestors were "thieves and murderers".

Mr. Bennett was denied the right to appeal against this sentence and was placed in Harare central prison. Towards the end of November 2004, he was transferred to Mutoko prison in north-east Zimbabwe, thereby restricting access to him by his family and legal team. The speaker of the Zimbabwean Parliament blocked attempts through the courts by lawyers acting for Mr. Bennett to achieve his release , although the High Court of Zimbabwe heard an application on his behalf in early November. A decision on his application was not delivered, however, until mid-February when bail was denied.

On a number of occasions, Mr. Bennett has apologised for pushing the Minister for Justice to the ground. However, this act provided ZANU-PF with an ideal opportunity to step up the campaign of harassment to which Bennett has been subjected. The unprecedented severity of the sentence was only the latest act of vengeance inflicted upon Bennett, who with his family and workers has been the target of a sustained campaign of persecution in recent years.

Some of the workers on Bennett's farm have been murdered, while others have been raped. ZANU-PF members overran his home during the 2000 election campaign and the stress of that incident caused his wife to have a miscarriage. His business is in tatters and he is now in prison. There are reports that he has been subjected to the most degrading and inhuman treatment, including serious beatings.

What is Bennett's real crime? Without doubt it is that he is an extremely popular representative for the opposition, he is a vocal critic of the antics of the Mugabe administration that puts democracy to shame, and he refuses to be cowed into submission. Since his election to Parliament he has stood for human rights and the rule of law. It is for these reasons that this vile campaign has been instigated against him. For his beliefs, he is incarcerated under a regime of hard labour and his wife is allowed to see him for approximately ten minutes every two weeks.

Almost two years ago, Roy Bennett addressed the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs regarding human rights in Zimbabwe. In early February this year, his case was raised in Seanad Éireann. On that occasion, the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs stated that the Irish ambassador in South Africa would intervene on behalf of Mr. Bennett. The Minister of State also agreed that a representative of the Government would raise the matter directly with the Government of Zimbabwe. I would appreciate an update on these matters. Perhaps the Government could clarify the nature of the response received from the Government of Zimbabwe.

The Government of Robert Mugabe has used every opportunity to silence criticism and dissent, and to ensure that Mugabe retains control of the country that was once Africa's most important producer of food. Under his administration, however, food production has been so badly disturbed that the spectre of food shortages and famine is worryingly close for many people. Life expectancy in Zimbabwe is only 39 years, far below standards in the European Union.

For many in Zimbabwe the food situation is extremely perilous. In December 2004, there was a one-off distribution of food to 1.6 million people by the World Food Programme. This programme operates in the country only when it is allowed to do so by the government, which had previously stated that the 2004 harvest had been extremely plentiful. In light of the needs of close to 2 million people for emergency food aid, it appears that the Zimbabwean Government is simply engaging in propaganda in its statements regarding food production.

Ireland has a functioning democracy in which people can engage freely in elections and electioneering, criticising the State or the Government, and proposing change and reform where they see fit. Our democracy is not without threats or challenges but each member of society is afforded a level of freedom that is denied to many in other parts of the world.

In light of the elections in Zimbabwe, the international community must continue to make every effort to speak against the manipulation of the electoral process as well as harassment and murder. Regimes such as that in Zimbabwe put the fundamental principles of democracy to shame. We must highlight this without fear or favour.

Roy Bennett's incarceration continues; his imprisonment is a shameful act by a shameless government. The Irish Government, and all members of the Dáil, must unite to call for his immediate release and must be a thorn in the side of the Zimbabwean Government until his release is achieved.

I have pleasure in supporting the motion.

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