Morgan Tsvangirai with a claim and an appeal:
I can think of no contemporary example of a people who have stood by their belief in democracy more determinedly, peacefully or bravely than Zimbabweans. Despite a decade of persecution and violent provocation, Zimbabweans have refused to compromise their democratic ideals or their belief in a future of dignity, prosperity and hope by lashing out at their opponents in anger or despair. As Prime Minister and the leader of the largest political party in Zimbabwe, I am immensely proud of my nation and its peoples.
Zimbabweans should not have to pay a further price for their determination to stand by their democratic ideals because the new Government does not meet or match the "clean slate" or "total victory" standards expected by the West.
The dilemma for those to whom the appeal is addressed hasn't changed much in the last few months. One of the reasons it hasn't is evident from this report about the 'hell on earth' in Zimbabwe's prisons. Don't be misled by use of that cliché; the report tells of the prisons having become 'death camps for thousands of inmates who are deprived of food and medical care'.