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Police brutality intensifies in the capital city
Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights)
November 14, 2008

As if the cholera outbreak in most high density suburbs, long bank queues, cash shortages, exaggerated prices in foreign currency and local currencies etc are not enough the police have continued to be insensitive to the needs and the rights of the citizens. The police force attacked civilians who were holding peaceful demonstrations in Harare on Tuesday.

National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) organised and carried out peaceful demonstrations in the various provinces including the capital city. However police in the capital disrupted what had been planned to be a peaceful demonstration and violence erupted, leading to the beating up of civilians some of whom were innocent. Citizens who se main forced undertaking has turned out to be spending the day in the long queues fell victim of the police beatings. It is alleged that some of the innocent victims succumbed to this brutality noting that 'being beaten by the police was just as good as the hunger and the long queues they have to endure on a daily basis.' Several of the demonstrators were reportedly arrested.

This incident is of concern to Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) as the rights of the citizens are perpetually being violated by the people who are supposed to assist in protecting them. The silence by the government on these brutal acts leaves one wondering whether the Mugabe regime is for the general citizens or against them. The aims and objectives for the government remain hazy as one fails to understand what plan the government has for the electorate.

ZimRights urges the local authorities to ensure that sanity prevails in the city and the citizens are left to enjoy fully their rights and freedoms in a democracy as freedom of expression is one of the key components of democracy.

Visit the ZimRights fact sheet

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