Police in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, on Wednesday used batons to break up a demonstration by scores of pro-democracy activists, arresting three protesters, a spokesperson for the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) claimed.
At least 250 members of the NCA, including chairperson Lovemore Madhuku, were rounded up by police in Africa Unity Square in central Harare while demonstrating for a new Constitution, official Earnest Mudzengi told the media in a telephone interview.
The spokesperson said Madhuku was separated from the rest of the crowd and bundled into a police vehicle. Then the police turned on the rest of the demonstrators, he alleged.
”They [the police] beat them. They beat them up and they remained seated,” Mudzengi claimed.
He said two other NCA members, Marko Shoko and Shingirai Nyakudya, were also arrested on allegations that they stoned a police vehicle. Mudzengi denied the allegations.
”We as the NCA are condemning this act of brutality by police,” he said.
Lawyer Alec Muchadehama confirmed the arrests. He said police had not yet preferred charges against his three clients, who are being detained at Harare central police station.
The NCA has been at the forefront of pressing for a new Constitution to replace a 26-year-old document that was last week described by church groups in a national vision document as being in a sorry state.
In his response to the church document, President Robert Mugabe last week defended Zimbabwe’s current Constitution, describing it as genuine and homegrown.
However, Mudzengi on Wednesday said the NCA’s pursuit of a new people-driven Constitution was legitimate.
”A homegrown Constitution can be dictatorial. His [Mugabe’s] comments are meant to mislead people,” Mudzengi said. ”The police action displayed today [Wednesday] is not going to deter us from staging more demonstrations.” — Sapa-dpa