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This article participates on the following special index pages:
Index of articles on the mistreatment of the legal profession in Zimbabwe
Lawyers
severely beaten
Crisis
in Zimbabwe Coalition
May 09, 2007
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in Zimbabwe
Lawyers including Beatrice
Mtetwa, the President of the Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) were
severely beaten up by riot police yesterday as they marched peacefully
to the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to hand
in a petition against the continued harassment of lawyers by the
State Security agents.
About 60 lawyers marched
to the New Government Complex with the intention to submit a petition
to the Minister of Justice, Patrick Chinamasa against the arrest
of human rights lawyers, Alec Muchadehama and Andrew Makoni of Mbidzo,
Muchadehama and Makoni Legal Practitioners and a prosecutor, Chikosha.
Makoni and Muchadehama were arrested on preposterous charges of
distracting the cause of justice in a case in which they are representing
Amos Musekiwa and other Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) activists.
The activists are being accused by the state of conducting a series
of petrol bombings around the country. Prosecutor Chikosha was arrested
for consenting to an order issued by the High Court on Saturday
5 May 2007 for Makoni and Muchadehama to be granted bail.
According to one of the
lawyers, the police stopped the march stating that it was unsanctioned.
As the lawyers were disbursing, riot police began arbitrarily beating
them up. Beatrice Mtetwa, Collin Kahuni, Chris Mhike and Fritzgerald
managed to enter the New Government Complex intending to deliver
the petition but were stopped by riot police and hauled into a police
truck. The 4 lawyers were taken to an open ground near the Harare
Remand Prison and severely beaten. They were later dumped along
Enterprise Road where they were found by other lawyers.
The lawyers
sustained bruises all over their bodies and a full medical report
is yet to be released.
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Zimbabwe Coalition fact
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