h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've long known that Zimbabwean prisons are some of the worst places on the planet for humans to be. You're squashed into a small dark cell along with lots of other folks, you're living in your own and fellow-prisoners' filth, you don't get warm blankets in Winter (and on the high plateau in central Zim nights can get freezing cold), the food you get is insufficient and you waste away month after month. On top of all this you might get tortured from time to time as well.

And remember that many people in Zimbabwean prisons are NOT hardcore criminals. Many are in there simply awaiting trial. Many are political prisoners and in there simply for being critical of the government.

At any rate I knew all of this but still wasn't prepared for yesterday's newspaper report of new Zimbabwean prison horrors.

There were photos of prisoners looking every bit as emaciated as the Nazi death camp inmates did when they were liberated by the allies at the war's end. The report goes on to say that about ten people die *daily* in police cells in central Harare - of hunger or cholera. You can imagine how rampant disease can be under those kinds of conditions. And if that's not enough ... prisoners that die are often just left there for *days* in the cells in the midst of the other prisoners!

Just imagine this please. You are arrested, you are put in a small cell with a whole bunch of other folks, you can see how sick and emaciated some of them are, and then over days some of them die and their corpses lie there decaying and nothing is done, and you don't get food yourself, this goes on for days, and you start visualising yourself wasting away, getting sick and dying and lying there rotting on the prison floor ...

You DON'T treat people like that! Not people waiting for trial ... not people found *guilty* ... not even rapists and murderers! Not even people sentenced to death. Heavens, even guys under death sentence in countries who still have that, get to eat well just before getting executed! As barbaric as capital punishment is ... every method of execution officially in use today is more merciful than letting people slowly die of starvation and disease in dark cramped prison cells surrounded by sick people and corpses.

To be clear ... the reason for these horrific circumstances is simply that first of all the system is overburdened, and secondly because people just don't care. The system is overburdened ... too few holding cells and prisons, too few policemen to see to all the people in them, and the police don't have the facilities they need ... they just don't have enough food, they don't have gasoline for their cars to take people to courts, there are too few of them to regularly patrol the cells and tend to sick people and to take out dead people. But also ... there is a significant element of 'can't be bothered'. The government itself who's responsible for the system as a whole, doesn't care for what happens to the prisoners so there's not money and support given to help the police and prison and court systems work as necessary. These things don't just 'happen'. Food doesn't magically come to prisoners. It must be bought and given to them. Prison cells don't just magically multiply. If new ones are needed to house new prisoners, then somebody must build them. *Somebody* must regularly and routinely check the conditions of prisons and prisoners. There must be fuel and automobiles for prisoner transportation. The court system must function fast and smooth to minimise waiting for trials. All these things must be supported with money and infrastructure.

So basically this is just part of the collapse of Zimbabwean society ... but it is also an illustration of the full horror of such collapse and the people caught up in it. And it IS a serious human rights violation the whole world should take note of. This thing cannot just be allowed to happen! Those are *human beings*!

Dreadful indeed. Yet the world seems to be turning a blind eye. I heard yesterday that 'he' is going to have a lavish birthday party. I cannot say what I feel here, but you can guess I am sure.

Websailor

Very dear Willem,

Thank you for bringing it to our notice.

It is totally and utterly tragic. My children were all born there, and I cannot bear to think of the population of that wonderful marvellous country being so totally abandoned.

My heart bleeds for all the wonderful residents of Mashonaland, Matabeleland and Manicaland .If I was mobile and young I would go back tomorrow.

May justice prevail and the new Prime Minister be given an opportunity to rebuild what was and can still be the most wonderful country,


Christiane
AlsoRan80

C

Hello Websailor and Christiane AR80! Thanks for reading and commenting.

There's not much chance of 'rebuilding' anything yet ... Tsvangirai may be prime minister but Bob is still president! I don't know if the opposition is up to the challenge of starting to turn the country around. Right now it's more like a tug-of-war between the two opposing groups in which they expend their power while the 'ordinary folks' don't get helped at all.

I'll watch out what happens next ...

Thank you so much willem.

one can only pray that they will realise that nothing is gained by fighting. And really the old boy has exausted his batteries. as we all do over a certain age. !!

Regards
Christiane AR80