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Defendants Tortured in Police Custody
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
January 17, 2003

St Mary’s Member of Parliament Job Sikhala, Human Rights NGO Forum Lawyer Gabriel Shumba, and his young brother Bishop Shumba were taken into custody on Tuesday night, 14 January, in St Mary’s, Chitungwiza.

The three were moved from St Mary’s to Mbare Police Station then to Harare Law and Order Section. An urgent court order, issued at 10:30 on the night of Wednesday, 15 January, granted their lawyers full access to the three, who previously had been denied contact. In the order, Justice Paradza also ordered that the two in custody be brought before the Magistrate within 48 hours of their arrest, or by 11pm on Thursday 16 January.

On Thursday afternoon, the three appeared before the court. Sikhala reported that he had been electrocuted, with electrodes placed on his tongue, feet and genitals. Gabriel Shumba was also severely injured. The Court ordered that the two receive medical attention immediately. On Friday morning, they were taken to Parirenyatwa Hospital, where they were treated, and doctors prepared medical reports of their injuries. On Friday afternoon, the three appeared again before the courts. Sikhala’s medical report was read before the court, and Gabriel Shumba gave evidence about the torture he had suffered in police custody. He reported that he had also been electrocuted, with the electrodes being placed on his tongue, feet and genitals.

The prosecution stated that the medical reports, and the defense statements were to be forwarded to the Commissioner of Police and the Attorney General’s Office for a full investigation.

The three were released on Friday afternoon on $30,000 bail each. A further bail condition for Job Sikhala and Gabriel Shumba was that they were ordered to surrender their passports. The three have been remanded until 4 February 2003. They were charged with violating Section 5.2 of the Public Order and Security Act (POSA), attempting to subvert the constitutional government unconstitutionally.

The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition rejects POSA as an unjust law meant to suppress people’s collective voice and to deny Zimbabweans their constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of speech, assembly, and movement. Moreover, the Coalition condemns these arrests, and the brutal treatment which the defendants suffered while in police custody.

For more information:
Tel/Fax: +263-(0)4-747810
Email: crisis-zim@transparency.org.zw

Visit the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition fact sheet

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