The Zimbabwe government’s abuse of human rights activists has not slowed down since the March election that extended the power of President Robert Mugabe, Amnesty International says in a report on Tuesday.
The report says it ”noted with growing concern the government’s continuing repression of human rights defenders.” It says that ”recent incidents of arbitrary arrest, assault and intimidation have raised fears for the safety of individual defenders and further undermine the prospects of any significant reform of the human rights situation in Zimbabwe.”
Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party won 78 of the 120 seats contested in the March 31 elections that the opposition and many international organisations dismiss as rigged.
The Amnesty report catalogued several incidents of torture allegedly perpetrated by the Zimbabwe police. It said the government had not investigated the torture charges or made any arrests.
Among the worst cases of harassment listed was of the activist group Women of Zimbabwe Arise (Woza).
Woza activists have been verbally and physically abused in police custody and denied access to lawyers, food and water,” said Amnesty. It added that government critics frequently suffer physical violence, arbitrary arrests and charges. – Guardian Unlimited Â