Zimbabwe police wearing riot-control gear on Thursday beat up protesters, arresting 14 of them, during a march in downtown Harare to demand free and fair elections, the organisers said.
Police charged on the 200 protesters as they approached a city park, distributing flyers and carrying placards during the march organised by the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), a coalition of church and rights group.
”I can confirm that 14 of our members have been arrested. Seven others were taken to a city clinic after they were beaten up by the police,” said Jessie Majome, NCA spokesperson.
”The police said it was an illegal march in terms of the Public Order and Security Act. We have always argued that this law is meant to infringe on our right to freedom of assembly.”
Voters in Zimbabwe go to the polls on March 31 to elect representatives to 120 contested seats in Parliament in elections that the opposition claims are skewed in favour of President Robert Mugabe’s governing Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) party.
The elections will be closely watched to gauge Mugabe’s commitment to adhere to principles on holding free and fair elections that were adopted by a southern African regional grouping last year.
Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, has decided to field candidates in the elections even though its leaders have said that the vote will not be free and fair. – Sapa-AFP