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Police intimidate ZimRights officers
Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights)
June 21, 2010

Three police officers dressed in civilian clothes suspiciously visited the Zimbabwean Human Rights Association (ZimRights) offices in Bulawayo.

They approached the secretary, Ms Celia Mafu, to whom they fired questions on the mandate and line of work that the organization is involved in. Alleging that they were coming from the licensing department, the officers probed on whether the organisation is registered for operation. ZimRights Legal Officer, Mr. Walter Dube approached them and requested for their identification and to state their business, seeing that their continued questioning was unconventional. Only one officer identified himself and the other two refused to budge, resulting in a heated argument. The officers said Mr. Dube was being disrespectful since their questions were directed to the secretary and not him. Upon interjecting their conversation, advising that their approach was inappropriate, one of the officers tried to drag Mr. Dube outside the office, which he resisted. Its still not clear what the police intended to do with Mr. Dube when then they tried to drag him out of the office.

Attempts by the regional coordinator, Ms Florence Ndlovu to intervene were met by a threat from one of the officers, not to be embroiled in a discussion she had no knowledge of. The officers are said to have left unceremoniously. Investigations among the rest of the tenants revealed that non-of them had been asked for licenses of questioned by the police officers relating to their operations.

ZimRights condemns this needless intimidation and disruption of the operations of the organization, particularly now when the outreach process on the constitution by COPAC have begun. Secret security agents continue to harass and intimidate people with the intention of disrupting efforts to come up with a people driven constitution and this must come to an end. This attack on ZimRights officers is uncalled for and it is time that the police direct their efforts towards supporting the constitution making process instead of intimidating human rights defenders and activists.

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