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Act now to defend the Zimbabwe farm workers' union!

• Send a fax or letter through Amnesty International UK

The General Secretary of the General Agriculture and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe (GAPWUZ), Gertrude Hambira, has gone into hiding after police threatened to put her 'behind bars' over a report and video entitled If something is wrong released by the union on 9 November last year.

On Friday 19 February, at 9am, Gertrude Hambira was called to a meeting with seventeen high ranking officials from the Joint Operations Command (JOC) - which consists of the army, police, prisons, Central Intelligence Office and air force - at CID headquarters. They were intimidatory and made it clear that GAPWUZ was accused of making serious allegations against the state.

If something is wrong calls for the escalating violence in the farming community to stop. It details the atrocities committed during the government-driven, chaotic land seizures since 2000. It is based on farm workers' own testimonies of murder, torture, and violence perpetrated by state agents.

Police detectives have been visiting the union's headquarters every day since last week and on Thursday 26 February police from the Law and Order section at Harare Central Police station visited GAPWUZ's offices and arrested the Assistant General Secretary Gift Muti and President Manjemanje Munyanyi. The police said they wanted information on the video.

According to the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) report (see below), Gift Muti was later released but Manjemanje Munyanyi remains in police custody. When the police stormed the GAPWUZ offices they said they were looking for GAPWUZ General Secretary Gertrude Hambira.

The TUC and its affiliated unions, along with the International Trade Union Confederation, the International Union of Foodworkers and Amnesty International are calling for an immediate and complete end to the intimidation of all GAPWUZ elected officials and staff and the release of their President Manjemanje Munyanyi.

• Send a fax or letter through Amnesty International UK

Case studies and projects (400 words) issued 1 Mar 2010