1. International Human Rights Day 2005: Zimbabwe
December 10th, 2005
Extract from most recent Political Violence Report
Budiriro
15 October 2005Fifteen people were assaulted by the police and army at Budiriro 4 Shopping Centre. The victims claim that on the day of the incident, they were patronising a bar located at the Shopping Centre when an Army vehicle pulled over. The vehicle contained about 15 people some of them soldiers, prison officers and police officers. It is alleged that the police and soldiers were looking for a certain MDC activist who resides in that area. After they had not found the activist, the soldiers and police are alleged to have indiscriminately assaulted those whom they thought were associated with that activist. The victims state that they were assaulted with baton sticks, sjamboks and booted feet. Some victims sustained injuries during the assaults. The victims were taken to Glen View Police Station in an Army truck. They were detained there for the whole weekend without charge. They eventually paid admission of guilt fines after the intervention of a lawyer as they were later charged under POSA.
In a related matter to the one above, another victim alleges that she was at Budiriro 4 Shopping Centre in the afternoon when she witnessed her husband being assaulted by members of the ZNA. She tried to intervene by reporting the matter to the Glen View Police Station but in vain. When she came back home she claims her home had been broken into and about $8 million dollars was missing. Thereafter the same people who had assaulted her husband came into the house. They were about 20. They broke into the house through the window and her husband fled. It is alleged that they assaulted the victim on the left eye using open hands. Thereafter the assailants left.
