By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
A human rights organ of the Zimbabwean government agrees with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) that Harare uses torture against protesters.
The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) criticised authorities for using troops to quell demonstrations and for engaging in a “systematic torture” in a crackdown on protesters.
MDC leader Nelson Chamisa had announced on January 21 that MDC members are being brutalised in response to violent protests against the 150 per cent rise in fuel price President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced on January 13.
The torture is organised, says ZHRC
The ZHRC said in a blunt statement on January 23 that at least eight deaths have been reported since last week, “mostly attributed to use of live ammunition.
“Armed and uniformed members of the Zimbabwe National Army and the Zimbabwe Republic Police instigated systematic torture.”
The torture is “organised”, it said, in that security forces targeted men close to where barricades are erected, and near areas torched by protesters or looted.
The ZHRC detailed reports of security forces entering houses at night and making men, and even boys as young as 11, lie on the ground where they were then beaten, according to the BBC.
“The deployment of the army in quelling civilian disturbances leads to loss of life and serious bodily injuries and other human rights violations, yet the government continues to make such deployments,” the statement said.
Other reports say at least 12 people have been killed and scores treated for gunshot injuries.
More than 600 people have been arrested in relation to the protests – with rights groups and opposition lawmakers saying many have been detained arbitrarily.
Evan Mawarire, a prominent Pastor and activist who led the 2016 protests against former President Robert Mugabe, was arrested on January 16 and remains in detention.
Mnangagwa as Mugabe’s enforcer
Before Mnangagwa became President on November 24, 2017 in place of Mugabe, he had once been Minister of State for National Security and was the enforcer of Mugabe’s oppressive policies.
Under his watch as Minister of State for National Security, the 5th Brigade of the Zimbabwe National Army killed thousands of Ndebele civilians in the Matabeleland region of western Zimbabwe.
These massacres, known as the Gukurahundi, lasted from 1983 to 1987, resulted in an estimated 2,000 to
30,000 deaths, says Wikipedia.
Mnangagwa denied involvement in the killings, saying in an interview in 2017: “How do I become the enforcer of the Gukurahundi? We had the President, the Minister of Defence, the commander of the army, and I was none of that.”
Despite his denial, he is accused by many, including foreign governments, opposition politicians, and human rights groups, of playing a significant role in, if not orchestrating, the Gukurahundi.
Since violence erupted on January 14 over the fuel price hike, Chamisa said many MDC members, including four Members of Parlient (MPs), have been detained.
He told the BBC that security forces attack families in their homes.
The government blames the MDC for stoking the violence. Rights groups say at least 12 people have been killed but this has not been officially confirmed.
The trade union umbrella group that called the protests, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, says its leader, Japhet Moyo, has also been arrested.
A government spokesman defended the crackdown, saying: “When things get out of hand, a bit of firmness is needed.”
Reports have emerged of assaults allegedly carried out by the military in various parts of the capital, Harare.
Soldiers in Harare were seen beating a large group of minibus drivers on January 22.
A man said he and about 30 others were rounded up and beaten by soldiers for “more than two hours”.
Violence by security forces unacceptable, Mnangagwa tweets
The continuing violence raises further questions about Mnangagwa’s control over the military, which helped bring him to power in 2017.
Mnangagwa, 76, has promised that abuses against civilians will not be tolerated.
On January 21, he called off a trip to Europe to deal with the unrest. He was due to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland to seek investment for Zimbabwe.
Back in Harare, he took to Twitter to urge all sides to work together to fix a broken economy.
“I invite leaders of all political parties as well as religious and civil leaders to set aside our differences and come together. What unites us is stronger than what could ever divide us.
“Let’s begin a national dialogue. Let’s put the economy first. Let’s put the people first 4/4,” he tweeted on January 22.
In a series of tweets, he said violence or misconduct by security forces is “unacceptable and a betrayal of the new Zimbabwe. If required, heads will roll.”
Protesters vow to continue
Mnangagwa said he raised fuel price to tackle fuel shortages, but Zimbabwe now has the most expensive fuel in the world, according to GlobalPetrolPrices.com.
Many Zimbabweans, worn down by years of economic hardship, have suddenly found they cannot even afford the bus fare to work.
This led to angry protests in Harare and the south-western city of Bulawayo.
Ellen Ngwenia, a pre-school teacher in Epworth, said: “I’m not afraid to protest, because we are hungry.”
Her mother, the school’s headteacher, was killed in last week’s protests after being hit by an army truck.
Ngwenia, who blames the government for her mother’s death, said “we will continue protesting until things [are] settled.”
Government blames MDC
Harare accuses the MDC of using the protests for political means.
“The MDC leadership has been consistently pushing out the message that they will use violent street action to overturn the results of [last year’s] ballot,” Mnangagwa’s spokesman, George Charamba, said on January 13.
The MDC rejected a court ruling in August 2018 that confirmed Mnangagwa had defeated Chamisa
MDC dismisses investigation
The MDC said on January 22 that five of its MPs had been detained and refused bail.
MDC official Morgen Komichi dismissed Mnangagwa’s announcement of an investigation into security forces, saying: “We don’t trust his word. We don’t regard him as an honest leader.”
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), the umbrella group that called the protests, says its leader, Japhet Moyo, has also been arrested.
Chamisa told the BBC there is “no justification whatsoever of having soldiers with live ammunition, with guns, machine guns, AK47 on the streets, beating up citizens.
“People are being approached in their homes, they are being taken out of their homes with their families even if they are sleeping … a lot of people have been arrested for no apparent reason.”
