Fifty-six Zimbabwean activists arrested this week for staging a peaceful demonstration against power cuts have been released, but most were beaten in police custody, the rights group they support said Wednesday.
”All of the Women of Zimbabwe Arise (Woza) supporters and 10 babies carried by some of the women when they were arrested on Monday were eventually released late on Tuesday after paying small fines,” Woza said.
During their detention the 56 were made to lie on the floor in the law and order department of Harare Central Police Station and were beaten by 12 officers, according to the group.
One woman had a baby on her back during the beating in which the baby was struck and sustained a swollen leg, the group said.
The injured activists, including 20 men, were receiving medical treatment on Wednesday morning, Woza said.
The demonstration that led to their arrest on Monday was part of a series of ”Power to the People” protests organised by Woza to lobby against worsening power shortages in Zimbabwe.
Suburbs in towns and cities throughout the country go without electricity for hours, sometimes days at a time.
The alleged police assault on the activists is seen as part of an ongoing crackdown by President Robert Mugabe’s government against critics, which has gathered pace as economic hardships worsen.
The government has banned rallies and demonstrations in Harare, and Mugabe has given police the right to use force against opponents engaging in street protests.
Dozens of opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) activists, including its leader Morgan Tsvangirai, have been arrested and assaulted by police in recent weeks.
The 83-year-old leader congratulated police for curbing the criminal tendencies of the opposition party at Independence Day celebrations last week.
The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights has said it is concerned at the growing number of activists being treated for injuries inflicted at the hands of the police.
‘Conspiracy’
During the recent Independence Day celebrations, Mugabe accused the opposition of trying to foment anarchy.
In a keynote speech at a packed football stadium in Harare, Mugabe fired a fresh broadside at his foreign critics, including former colonial power Britain, and accused Tsvangirai of being a puppet of the West.
The celebrations were overshadowed by an economic meltdown and mounting political violence but 83-year-old Mugabe said he would deal with ”conspirators” trying to end his 27-year rule with the full force of the law.
”We have observed how of late this conspiracy has attempted to transform into a militant, criminal strain, characterised by the puerile attempts of misguided opposition elements to create a state of anarchy,” Mugabe said.
”As the government, our message remains clear: that we will never hesitate to deal firmly with those elements who are bent on fomenting anarchy and criminal activities,” added Mugabe, who has been in power since the former Rhodesia gained independence on April 18 1980.
Mugabe, already subject to Western sanctions over allegations he rigged his re-election in 2002, has come in for withering criticism from the United States and the European Union over the recent arrest and assault on senior members of the MDC.
— Sapa-dpa, AFP