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Activist says she will die if she stays in Zimbabwe

A member of Zimbabwe's opposition who claims she was beaten by security forces said yesterday she will die if she is barred from seeking medical treatment outside the African country.

Sekai Holland was one of the most severely injured when police broke up a prayer meeting hosted by the main opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change, on March 11.

The 64-year-old activist was arrested days later as she attempted to board a flight to South Africa and told Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) radio yesterday she was under police guard in a Harare hospital.

Speaking secretly from her hospital bed, Holland -- who is married to an Australian and has two children living in Australia -- said she would not survive if she were refused permission to travel to South Africa.

Holland said she had been severely beaten while in police custody and needed to go to Johannesburg for hyperbaric oxygen treatment to avert permanent damage to her leg.

She said her left leg, hand and three ribs had been broken.

Holland said she doubted police would allow her to leave the country even if she succeeds in gain a court permit.

She came to Australia from her homeland when it was known as Rhodesia in 1961 and married Jim Holland before the couple moved back in 1981.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is under mounting international condemnation over his brutal treatment of political opponents and the worsening poverty of his people.

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