Harare police ‘savagery’ under fire   

By Angus Shaw
September 18, 2006
Sapa-AP
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HARARE — An alliance of independent human rights groups yesterday demanded the immediate prosecution of police and soldiers who allegedly assaulted and injured labour leaders attempting to stage antigovernment protest marches across the country. 
The Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum said torture in the troubled southern African nation was “both widespread and systematic” as evidenced by what it called the savage ill-treatment of the main labour federation’s leaders while in custody after they were arrested in Harare on Wednesday.
It said that the leaders of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions had been subjected to beatings and torture that left them with fractures and other serious injuries.
Wellington Chibebe, the federation secretary-general, suffered a broken arm, hand and severe head injuries.
Harare magistrate Peter Mufunda held a court hearing at the state Parirenyatwa hospital on Saturday and deferred court action against Chibebe until October 3. He is accused of inciting protesters to cause a breach of the peace.
Mufunda ordered an investigation into the treatment of at least 16 labour leaders in Matapi police cells, one of the capital’s harshest jails, after their arrest.
About 30 labour activists were released late on Friday. Most hobbled into court, some sporting slings and bandages.
From his hospital bed, Chibebe told human rights campaigners the activists held at Matapi were taken into cells in pairs where they were beaten by police and attackers who he thought — from the language they used — to be soldiers.
Lovemore Matombo, the head of the opposition-allied labour federation, suffered head injuries and a broken finger, and the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change said Lucia Matibenga, both a federation activist and an opposition official, also suffered fractures.
The opposition party said in a statement it was “appalled” by the ferocity of the assaults and the flagrant violation of the victim’s rights in custody.
The government has made no comment on the assaults which have been condemned by western states. 
Police sealed off streets and thwarted protests on Wednesday last week , arresting nearly 200 activists nationwide. 
Zimbabwe is reeling from runaway inflation, record unemployment and acute shortages of food, fuel and imports, along with an HIV/AIDS epidemic that kills at least 3000 people a week.
An International Monetary Fund report last week said inflation was heading for 4000% by the end of next year. 
Meanwhile, police denied reports yesterday that shots were fired at Anticorruption Minister Paul Mangwana home. 
“Only stones were thrown … and police fired warning shots at the assailants,” a police spokesman said of the attack. 
Earler reports said shots had been fired at the home Mangwana, who is also the acting information chief. With DPA