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Police force entry into ZimRights premises
Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (Zimrights)
July 19, 2005

On Tuesday night, 19 July 2005 Three uniformed Zimbabwe Republic Police details forced their way into ZimRights premises – at 90 fourth Street Corner Baines Avenue in Harare.

1145 hrs: The ZimRights Security Guard (Mr Zweni Dlodlo) informs that at around 1145 hours 3 details knocked on the main gate and demanded that they be allowed inside. The Guard did not open the gate but questioned their mission and who they were looking for. The details replied that it was rudeness to question the motive of the Police and that failure to cooperate with the police is punishable. With these intimidating remarks, the Security Guard was forced to open the gate.

The three police details got inside and asked what activities ZimRights was conducting at night. They (police) indicated (in Shona language) that they had been assigned to work at ZimRights premises for some time (nhasi tiri kusevenza tose pano kwemazuva). One of the details who had a communication radio was being referred to as Gundani. One Gundani also indicated that they were others who were going to change-shift replacing them in the morning. Upon inspecting the whole premise area, they discovered that in one of the offices which is occupied by the International Socialist Organization (ISO) had lit lights.

Around 1200hrs: the details knocked on the ISO office window. One of the ISO officers Mr Briggs Bomba was working alone in the office at that time. Briggs opened the window and was confronted by the police details who demanded intimidatingly that he opens that door. Upon opening the door, all three police details walked inside and according to Briggs, in a ‘rude tone’ said that they wanted to talk to him inside and not through the window (toda kukuwonera imomo).

When they entered the ISO offices, the police details did not specify their mission but proceeded to sit on the bench and insisted that they were going to spend the night ‘protecting’ people – (tinenge tiri pano tichikuchengetedzai husiku hwese). Meanwhile one of the officers kept on communicating ‘with their control’ through the radio. All this time they were ushering intimidating messages over the radio such as ‘we are now inside and we are ready’. All this left the security guard and Briggs riled with fear and dumfounded. Briggs was literally held ‘incommunicado’ and did not leave the office as the police officers were sitting in his office. The details occasionally took turns to maintain vigil and use radio communication whilst others slept.

0200hrs: As if they were responding to a timed radio call, all the three details left the office and grouped at the main gate – talking to someone who could not be identified. After 5 minutes – they all came back into the ISO office and sat on the bench. Briggs did not manage to phone out for help nor use the e-mail since the police were in the office – he only managed to send an SMS message to three colleagues.

0506hrs: Police details left ZimRights’ premises and indicated to the ZimRights Security Guard that another batch of police officers were coming to replace them.

0849hrs: When business started the security guard and ISO comrade were visibly shaken by the unceremonious police visit.

This is the second time in 2005 that police/government officials have forced themselves into ZimRights offices. The last time was in April when officers purporting to be from the Ministry of Social Welfare demanded that they inspect ZimRights’ books of accounts and audit its activities. We put to question the intentions of the police visit and the night vigil at ZimRights premises. As a legally constituted and registered institution such an invasion of private space and infringement is unjustifiable since the police were acting without a court order. There is/was no actual or reasonably anticipated breaches of peace or criminal activity at ZimRights premises. In any case the police details did not specify their mission. We are concerned with the continued entries by government agents without permission and without lawful authority as this amounts to the inculcation of a culture of fear and intimidation in civil society. Such actions are tortious and should therefore be condemned.

Thursday, 21 July 2005 - Another police visit at ZimRights

0810hrs: Three plain-clothes police details approached the ZimRights Security Guard and two other members who were just outside the main gate. The details flashed their ID cards introducing themselves as police. The police details asked what major activities were outlined by ZimRights for the day. They were told none. They then asked whether Dr Madhuku of National Constitutional Assembly visited ZimRights offices the previous night or whether he was likely to visit. After this brief conversation, the three police officers left.

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