From: Mike Carter
Subject: Fw: Armband Arrest
Dear Sir,
I think it is important to relate what happened to me on the day Zimbabwe played Namibia in the Cricket World Cup. Having seen the advertisement in the Daily News promoting the idea of spectators wearing black and white clothing and black armbands to the cricket and having been reassured (ha ha) by The Commissioner of Police that non violent protest would be allowed at the cricket I wore an armband to the cricket on Monday 10th February.
On arriving at the game I was instructed by the policeman present at the entrance gate to take my armband off. He was not available for questioning. So I took it off and went inside where I put it on again. I was not bothered by anyone inside the ground while I watched the cricket for a couple of hours. I was shocked not to see a single armband being worn by any spectator inside the ground.
I left the ground at about 12.30 pm and was walking outside the ground along the pavement in the direction of my car, when I was accosted by five men. They showed me their CID identification and insisted that I accompany them to Harare Central Police Station for questioning. They refused to let me make any phone call on my cell phone.
At Harare Central I was questioned by various officials who in turn wrote my full names down in their notebooks. They were not particularly aggressive and eventually informed me that I was going to be charged under the Miscellaneous Offences Act for conduct which was designed to cause a breach of the peace.I could pay a fine of $3000 dollars or I could stay in jail until I appeared before a magistrate.I chose to pay the fine.
Time began to move very slowly as no-one seemed to want to continue the process. I was taken to a couple of different rooms each one deeper in the building and murkier. Finally one of the Detectives started to find some paper and began typing. I had been in the building about 90 minutes and no-one outside knew I was there. I asked again if I could phone my wife. Surprisingly he agreed.
Once I got through to her I told her where I was and to inform our lawyer. If I was not out by 4pm he must get down here pronto. Then my phone rang and I gave the same message to a friend.
As it rang again the door burst open and two very loud and abusive men came in. One grabbed the cell phone and the other picked up my hat off the table and began forcing it on my head: sort of pushing it down over my eyes. I asked him why he was trying to humiliate me. This seemed to put him off his stroke and when I took the hat off he grabbed my notebook out of my pocket and took away a disposable camera telling a minion to take out the film. Then he grabbed my glasses off and a man with a different camera snapped my picture twice. He then kept asking me if I was drunk or on drugs.
Meanwhile the more senior of the two men, who I was told later was a deputy Commissioner was shouting abuse at me; accusing me of fighting in the Smith war and committing atrocities; that I was conniving with the British Government to overthrow the Zimbabwean Government; that using emails I was working with groups to embarrass the Zimbabwean Government during the World Cup cricket and that he knew all about me; that I was a farmer who had lost his land and therefore wanted to change the Government. Then he began asking questions about who else I was working with and why was I wearing an armband.
I felt that I needed to find the right line between saying the truth without provoking further his visible rage. Much of what he said had been a few inches from my face. So I said I was wearing an armband for the same reason Henry Olonga was and he should therefore arrest him. "No" said my oppressor, "a relative of Olonga had died."
Yes I agreed I was a farmer and had unjustly lost my land. In fact I was a single farm owner and had a High Court Order allowing me to continue farming. However Brigadier Chanakire and the Member in Charge at Goromonzi agreed that I was not allowed to go back."Yes" he roared, "I agree with them."
"Then if a senior policeman does not support The Rule of Law he must understand why I was wearing a black armband."
Now he had moved over to the other side of the table. "Well why don't you go and wear your armband in Marondera? Why do you come and wear it at the cricket?In fact why don't you people go and leave the country altogether and just leave us to be barbarians? Why don't you go outside the country and form an army and fight properly against us, so that we can kill you?"
There was no appropriate response I could make, so decided to be silent and just stare at him. Also my mouth was very dry and I didn't want him to think I was scared; which I was, as I thought I had gone too far and I was in for a sleepless and cold night on a cell floor. Also I had flu so I really wanted to get out of there.
Having had the last word the senior oppressor told the junior oppressor to deal with me and left. I followed the hat sadist through various dark corridors down into the depths of the building, as he played mind games with me trying to frighten me into thinking that they were going to lock me up. After a time he lost interest and took me to his office. There I was given back to the detective who had let me phone who took me to the fines office. Luckily I had $3000 on me. After the paperwork was complete he asked me if I had all my belongings. His humanity was a welcome relief. He said you are free to go and I walked out into afternoon sun which was still surprisingly hot for 4 pm.
M.Carter