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150
arrested as police thwart street protests
ZimOnline
September 21, 2006
http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=161
HARARE – Zimbabwe
police deployed on the streets of Harare on Wednesday and arrested
about 150 people in other cities to thwart nationwide protests called
by the country’s National
Constitutional Assembly (NCA) civic alliance.
The NCA, a coalition
of churches, civic and women rights groups, opposition parties,
students and labour and that had called protests against alleged
torture of labour leaders by the police last week, also said four
of its members were briefly abducted by ruling ZANU PF party militia
in Harare. They were later released.
NCA chairman
Lovemore Madhuku claimed protests that were being carried out nationwide
had gone well in other parts of the country but said his group was
temporarily shelving street action because of the heavy-handed response
of the police.
"We have temporarily
shelved the demonstrations," Madhuku said.
ZANU PF spokesman
Nathan Shamuyarira denied that militant supporters of his party
had abducted NCA members, while police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena
said claims by the civic alliance that its members had been kidnapped
were just an attempt to impress foreign donors who fund the group.
The NCA was
protesting against the severe assault and torture of dozens of top
Zimbabwe
Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) leaders and some opposition
officials by the police for attempting to stage protests
against worsening economic hardships.
ZCTU secretary
general Wellington Chibebe, who was the worst injured during the
assault by the police, is still admitted in hospital where he is
receiving treatment for severe injuries to the head, a broken arm
and fingers.
The alliance
protests however failed to kick off in Harare as police, some of
them heavily armed, camped virtually at every street corner forcing
organisers to call off the demonstrations.
In the eastern
city of Mutare, about 300 NCA activists marched across town before
police armed with guns and rubber truncheons descended on them,
beating them up to disperse them and arrested about 150 others.
A total of six
people were arrested in the two cities of Masvingo and Gweru while
17 people were injured as police put down protests.
All arrested
were still being detained in police cells by late last night.
President Robert
Mugabe regularly sends the army and police onto the streets to suppress
mounting dissension against his rule as Zimbabwe grapples with an
economic meltdown, critics blame on state mismanagement.
Zimbabwe has
the world’s highest inflation rate at 1 204.6 percent, skyrocketing
unemployment, shortages of foreign currency, food, fuel and power
and increasing poverty levels. - ZimOnline
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