From Zim Online (SA), 17 October
Police severely assault protesters in Harare
By Sebastian Nyamhangambiri
Harare - Police on Tuesday severely assaulted and injured more than 30 members of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) political pressure group for attempting to march to Parliament to protest against constitutional reforms agreed between President Robert Mugabe and the opposition last month. (...) In a statement, the NCA said its activists were on a peaceful march to Parliament to show their disapproval of Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Bill No. 18 when the police pounced, beating up and injuring 34 of the marchers. (...) Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena confirmed the police had clashed with the NCA demonstrators but denied excessive force was used. He said: "They were asked to disperse. Some took the orders but a few tried to resist the orders and some minimum force was used. It was not anything serious but just to make them disperse."
However a ZimOnline reporter who was monitoring the NCA march witnessed dozens of riot police, some who carried guns, round up the demonstrators and ordering them to lie on the tarmac, not far from the offices of the government’s flagship Herald newspaper. Then a police officer, who was referred to as Marondera by his colleagues and who appeared to be their commander, ordered the police to assault the NCA activists. "Give them what they deserve and let them go," thundered Marondera, upon which the police began beating the NCA activists with baton sticks before ordering them to disperse. (...)
No comments:
Post a Comment