The lawyers representing four pro-democracy activists arrested at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport last Wednesday have described the horrific mistreatment their clients endured at the hands of state security agents.
Namatai Kwekweza, the recipient of the prestigious Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize in 2023, Robson Chere, Samuel Gwenzi, and Vusumuzi Moyo were dragged out from a plane bound for Victoria Falls, and reportedly tortured while being held incommunicado for hours.
The four pro-democracy activists appeared before the Harare Magistrate Court on Friday, facing charges of disorderly conduct.
They were accused of involvement in a demonstration protesting the detention of Jameson Timba, a leader of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) faction.
As reported by CITE, during the court proceedings, the activists’ lawyers – Jeremiah Bhamu, Tinashe Chinopfukutwa, Roseline Hanzi, and Charles Kwaramba from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) – described the systematic assault their clients had endured.
One of the activists, Kwekweza, was subjected to particularly cruel treatment. Fully aware of her recent dental procedure, one of her assailants deliberately shoved a shoe and metal bar into her mouth, inflicting excruciating pain.
She was also threatened with further violence if she refused to cooperate. Her phone, laptop, and passport were also seized.
The lawyers said Kwekweza was not even in Zimbabwe when the alleged crime was committed at the Harare Magistrate Court on June 27, 2024.
Moyo who is said to be a sound engineer for a prominent musician was also beaten up.
Chere, the secretary general of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ), was allegedly beaten with an iron bar, leaving him with bloodshot eyes for two days. His phone was also used to record the assault.
Chere’s ordeal continued with waterboarding, and his dreadlocks were forcibly cut off.
His lawyers detailed how the assailants threatened to kill him or rape his wife if any demonstrations took place ahead of the SADC Summit. They also made chilling threats against his family.
Harare councillor Samuel Gwenzi was allegedly struck with open palms and iron bars, and ordered to chant ZANU-PF slogans and declare his Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party a “Western puppet party.”
Gwenzi’s captors even threatened to harm his children. His phone was also seized, and he was subjected to further beatings.
The assailants additionally threatened to kill other opposition leaders, including Gift Ostallos Siziba and Takudzwa Ngadziore, if they planned any protests.
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