Roy Bennett
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Roy Leslie Bennett (born February 16, 1957) is a Zimbabwean politician who is a former member of the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe for the seat of Chimanimani),and is currently the Treasurer of the Movement for Democratic Change (Anti-Senate).
He was elected in the 2000 Parliamentary election, despite the constituency seeing intimidation against MDC voters by supporters of Zanu-PF. During the campaign his wife and family were physically attacked.
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[edit] Imprisonment
In 2004, Bennett was in the Zimbabwean Parliament when the Attorney General, Patrick Chinamasa accused his ancestors of being thieves and murderers. The angry then Bennett punched Chinamasa to the ground. The incident was recorded in Hansard for the Zimbabwe Parliament. A bill of attainder was then passed with even the MDC being part of the parliamentary committee to investigate that incident imprisoning him for 15 months. The court also postponed the election in his constituency Chimanimani by a month to give his team time to campaign. However, this did not prevent the MDC from losing the seat to ZANU (PF).
[edit] Release
On June 28, 2005 Bennett was released from Chikurubi Prison after spending eight months of his 12 month sentence in custody. It is standard prison procedure to commute a third of any sentence for good behaviour. He told reporters he had been made to stand naked in front of prison guards and was then given a prison uniform covered with human excrement when he arrived in jail. He denounced prison conditions generally in a press conference after his release, saying "The inhumanity with which the prisoners are treated and their total lack of recourse to any representation or justice combined with the filth and stench of daily life is something I will never forget and I will not rest until their conditions are improved."
Bennett declared his desire to continue in politics, saying "I am more determined than ever to continue to strive for a better Zimbabwe for all Zimbabweans, the current oppression cannot continue for much longer and sooner, rather than later, the people will assert their rights." He also said that if the opportunity arose and the people for Chimanimani asked him to, he would stand as their representative again.
[edit] Subsequent developments
During the MDC split over the proposed boycott of elections to the Zimbabwe Senate in 2005, Bennett sided with MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai in support of the boycott.
Bennett is currently living in South Africa, and has applied for asylum. His application was initially rejected by the South African Department of Immigration, and he is appealing this decision.
