Zimbabwean Opposition Leader speaks out

Zimbabwe's Opposition Leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, will outline the political situation under Mugabe's government when he speaks at UNSW this Thursday.

Mr Tsvangirai is the President of the Movement for Democratic Change, the main political party in opposition to the government led by Robert Mugabe. He is a vocal critic of Mr Mugabe's policies and has been subjected to arrest and violence for his political activities in Zimbabwe.

Mr Tsvangirai is a guest of the Australian Human Rights Centre (AHRC) at UNSW.

"The visit by Mr Tsvangirai coincides with a report issued last week in Zimbabwe that this year is expected to be the worst for human rights violations by police and state agents in seven years of political and economic turmoil in the country," said Associate Professor Andrea Durbach, Director of the AHRC.

"The report, issued by an independent alliance of human rights organisations, indicates that cases of gross human rights violations - including torture, unlawful abductions, arrests and abuses of political rights an freedoms - doubled in the first six months of 2007 compared to the same period in 2006."

What: Morgan Tsvangirai, President, Movement for Democratic Change, public lectureWhen: 1 - 2pm, Thursday 30 AugustWhere: Law Auditorium, Ground Level, Faculty of Law, UNSWRSVP: Amber Rowe

MEDIA CONTACT: Victoria Brown, UNSW Media Office, tel. 9385 3263 or 0412 980 044.