visit by a trade union delegation from South Africa to Zimbabwe, culminating in its expulsion from the country on 26 October 2004, and that a further Congress of South African Trade Unions delegation was turned away at the border on 2 February 2005. 225. The Government refuted the allegations. In relation to the allegations concerning the deportation of international trade unionists, the Government emphasized its right to determine its immigration policies and laws which trade union membership could not circumvent. 226. The Committee repeated its earlier comments concerning the need for rapid judgements in the case of unionists who had allegedly been dismissed for strike action. It considered that visits by other trade union movements in the region represented a normal trade union activity and, while subject to national legislation, must be based on objective criteria and be free of antiunion discrimination. In 2006, the Committee deplored the fact that the Government had failed to take action to redress the violations. 136 227. In 2007, the Committee examined additional information referring to intimidation, harassment and violence against trade union officials and trade unionists during the period from February 2005 to September 2006. 137 It was informed that some charges against trade union leaders had been withdrawn or dismissed for lack of evidence. One set of new allegations concerned interference by the authorities in the union’s international cooperation activities and governmental interference in ZCTU affairs in an attempt to oust the union’s leadership through internal conflicts in 2005. Other allegations concerned a police raid on ZCTU headquarters on 13 May 2005 during which financial documents were searched and files, computer disks, cheque books and foreign currency were seized. In November 2005, the Government started an investigation into alleged financial misconduct and breaches of the ZCTU constitution, allegedly based on the complaints of affiliate members who had been suspended in the earlier internal conflict. On 8 August 2006, the ZCTU Secretary General was interrogated by the serious fraud section of the Criminal Investigation Department on account of his responsibility for illegal foreign currency exchange as signatory to ZCTU bank accounts. 228. Other allegations concerned the arrest, detention, intimidation and harassment of trade unionists in 2005–06, including death threats, disruption of ZCTU meetings by police, the alleged dismissal from TelOne of 1,254 workers for taking part in a strike on 6 October 2004, and the confiscation of flyers in a police raid. One particular set of allegations concerned a 13 September 2006 demonstration which was largely prevented from proceeding following the arrest or detention of 265 trade union officials and members around the country. There was heavy police and army involvement; other trade union officials and members were interrogated or intimidated; and ZCTU officials were seriously beaten. 229. The Government replied to each allegation, repeating to a large extent its previous comments concerning the political nature of many ZCTU activities and declining an ILO high-level direct contacts mission. 230. The Committee requested the Government to drop charges against those arrested and to ensure that no charges under the POSA were pending against trade unionists; to instigate an investigation into the alleged beatings at police stations and into the disruptions and assaults that allegedly occurred within the internal ZCTU conflict; to provide details of the outcome of 136 342nd Report of the Committee on Freedom of Association, Official Bulletin, Vol. LXXXVIX, 2006, Series B, No. 2, paras 4, 1040–1053. 137 344th Report of the Committee on Freedom of Association, Official Bulletin, Vol. XC, 2007, Series B, No. 1, paras 4, 1333–1453. Meetings-2009-Zimbabwe C of I-2009-12-0035-3-En.doc/v3 65