Mercy Ncube, Simbarashe Sibanda, Joseph Mutizi, Adam Muchiriri, Tonderai Moyo and Clever Nyoni spent the night at Harare Central police station, only to be released without charge.
Joshua Mwale, the 7th arrested ROHR activist, was released the same day on Monday. The group says Adam Muchiriri, who they had earlier feared was abducted on the same day of the demonstration, was actually also in police custody. ROHR said in a statement the detention of their activists, ‘was kept secret by sympathetic (police) officers who wanted to protect the detainees from the Central Intelligence Organisation.’
CIO agents are said to have visited the station 3 times between Monday and Tuesday demanding the ROHR activists be handed over. ‘They were not beaten or tortured during detention, except for Clever Nyoni who was beaten by police during his arrest,’ ROHR said. Around 47 women from the Women’s Coalition, who were also arrested during their own Monday demonstration, were released the same day around 9pm.
Meanwhile ROHR say they still have not been able to positively identify the body of one of their members, Osborne Kachuru, from Mbare. Kachuru was allegedly beaten to death at ZANU PF’s offices in Fourth Street, Harare soon after ROHR’s demonstration. On Wednesday Edgar Chikuvire the Information Director said they are still looking for a family member to go and identify the body at Parirenyatwa Hospital mortuary.
Chikuvire also told Newsreel that of the 4 ROHR members abducted by ZANU PF youths Monday, only 2 have been accounted for. Those released confirmed that there were many other people being detained unlawfully at the ZANU PF offices in Fourth Street, an indicator the number of people abducted could be much higher than reported.
SWRadio Africa
Post published in: News