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Hwange
brutality: Woman battles for life as police bar lawyers from accessing
client
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)
October 11, 2013
Human rights
lawyers have intervened to seek justice for some women who were
brutalised by
armed officer of the Zimbabwe Republic Police for protesting against
State-owned coal miner Hwange Colliery Company’s failure to
pay their husbands’ salaries for several months.
Four of the
women were badly injured and are in hospital, where one of them
is battling for her life in the intensive care unit. Images of the
badly assaulted and bloodied women, who were battered with truncheons
shocked the world, leading human rights defenders to demand action
to end police brutality.
Zimbabwe Lawyers
for Human Rights (ZLHR) moved in to assist the women when the demonstration
broke out on Monday 7 October 2013 and secured the release of two
women who had been detained at Hwange Police Station. The two were
released on summons after the intervention of ZLHR member Thulani
Nkala of Dube and Company.
Nkala has already
drafted a letter of complaint and notice of intention to sue the
police over the brutal attack on the peaceful protestors.
The women took
the drastic action to protest after their husbands went for several
months without receiving their salaries from the once giant coal
miner.
Meanwhile, human
rights lawyer Denford Halimani, a member of Zimbabwe Lawyers for
Human Rights was on Friday 11 October 2013 still to be granted access
to his client, James Chidhakwa, an Information Technology officer
and the secretary for security and defence in the MDC-T party’s
Youth Assembly, who is detained at Harare Central Police Station.
Chidhakwa was taken from his work offices in Harare on Friday morning
for some yet to be disclosed reasons. Halimani has for more than
four hours been battling to be allowed access to his client.
Visit the ZLHR
fact
sheet
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