OFFICIAL JONGWE AUTOPSY RESULTS IDENTIFY POISONING

UNCLAS HARARE 002445 SIPDIS SENSITIVE NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER LONDON FOR GURNEY PARIS FOR NEARY NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV ZI SUBJECT: OFFICIAL JONGWE AUTOPSY RESULTS IDENTIFY POISONING AS CAUSE OF DEATH; POLICE SUGGEST SUICIDE REF: HARARE 2321 ¶1. (U) Learnmore Jongwe, former MDC spokesman and MP from Kuwadzana, died from chloroquine poisoning, according to the state run newspaper, The Herald. Jongwe was found dead in his prison cell early in the morning of October 22 (See Reftel). The police autopsy was performed on October 24. The Jongwe family was able to delay the autopsy so that they could secure an independent expert from South Africa to witness the process and remove separate specimens for analysis. The results of the independent autopsy were not known at the time of the Herald report but a police spokesman announced that the police were not interested in the independent findings. ¶2. (U) The police implied that Jongwe committed suicide because a small bottle with one pill was found near Jongwe's body at the time of death and there were pieces of white tablets in his vomit. Jongwe allegedly tried to commit suicide earlier after allegedly fatally stabbing his wife in July. The police spokesman announced on national television on November 7 that the anti-malaria drug, chloroquine, was often associated with suicide attempts. ¶3. (SBU) Nelson Chamisa, MDC National Youth Chairman and a close friend of Jongwe, told us that the Jongwe family was shocked with the government autopsy results. They had not seen the results prior the announcement on ZBC on the evening of November 7. According to Chamisa, the family still holds the government responsible for Jongwe,s death because he was in police custody at the time. (We understand from separate sources that the South African pathologist's initial findings also indicated poisoning as the cause of death, but had not yet completed the separate autopsy.) COMMENT: Whatever the circumstances of Jongwe's death, it is extremely unlikely that most opposition supporters will accept that he died at his own hand. END COMMENT. SULLIVAN