Source: Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum
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Summary
In September 2016, 117 new victims of Organized Violence and Torture were documented and received medical treatment for injuries sustained in incidents of politically related violence reported from across the provinces of Zimbabwe. This figure included 41 victims of police brutality who were released from remand prison after detention for alleged involvement in protests during August 2016 after nearly a month of remand in detention without access to treatment by a medical practitioner of choice as enshrined in the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 20) Act 2013: Section 50 (1) (b) (ii). Of particular concern is that the majority of these detainees were members of the public going about their daily business and were dragged from the streets by the police during demonstrations and charged with public violence. While concerned citizens have staged a series of demonstrations across the country, in September a total of five (5) protests were held and the state responded violently quell the demonstrations (See Appendix 1 for more details). Many citizens were viciously assaulted in their homes and arrested by the police.
The month of September also witnessed a rise in cases of abductions occurring mostly at night. Five (5) people sought medical assistance after being targeted and abducted at gunpoint by unknown men in plain clothes and in unmarked vehicles. All were subjected to intense interrogation; physical beatings with blunt objects, barbed wire, and whips and were electrocuted. All reported being injected with an unknown substance and three were forced to have sexual intercourse with men or women. (See appendix 2 on cases of abductions)
The force of the violence shown by the state is worrying, as over 10% of victims’ sustained fractures and over 20% required hospital admission. Spouses and children of the victims were subjected to beatings when the targeted person could not be located. Further, many of the families of the detainees in remand were visited by state security agents and threatened.
Of concern is the number of reports from victims of ZANU PF perpetrators carrying firearms during episodes of targeted violence.
All the issues noted in this month’s report are reminiscent of the state violence perpetrated in 2007, and then escalated in April 2008 after the first round of the Presidential electoral process.
Source: Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum
Download full report (224KB PDF)