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50 NCA activists missing, six detained after Harare demo
Tererai Karimakwenda, SW Radio Africa
June 15, 2007

http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=16816

The National Constitutional Assembly reports that at least 50 of their activists have not been accounted for and six are in police custody a day after plain-clothes and uniformed police officers blocked a planned demonstration in Harare. Tapera Kapuya, a spokesperson for the group, said police have not allowed the detained activists access to lawyers. No charges have been brought against them either. Kapuya said they suspect the 50 missing activists were taken from their homes by government agents after the banned demo Thursday. No information has been released by the police about any of them. The six detained were taken from the Central Business District in Harare as police violently dispersed activists who were gathering for the demonstration.

Kapuya explained that they used excessive force and several injuries were reported. He said: "Police were quite vicious in their treatment of those who were participating in the protest. And several innocent ordinary people going about their business were caught in the chaos." The NCA spokesperson expressed concern for the welfare of the missing activists, saying there has been a brutal ongoing campaign by the government against the NCA. He added: "It seems very organised, because they have been identifying our people, abducting, torturing then dumping them in remote areas." The opposition parties have reported that their officials and supporters are also being kidnapped by government agents who torture and then dump them miles away from home.

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