ZEF hails release of Dlhamini, mudzingwa and manyere

The authority of Zimbabwe's inclusive government has once again been
brought into question following the harassment of torture victims late
yesterday at the Avenues Clinic in Harare by state agents and prison
officers. State security agents should realise that for the country to
be accepted into the international fold, they too have to embrace the
spirit of unity, freedom and the rule of law.

The Zimbabwe Exiles Forum believes that this pattern of torture and
intimidation of activists and human rights defenders has no place in a
new dispensation, and will only assist in discrediting any attempt to
restore normalcy in Zimbabwe. Abductions, torture and fabricated
charges should cease immediately if the country is to move forward.

Chris Dhlamini, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's director of security
and Gandhi Mudzingwa, formerly his personal assistant, are reported by
hospital staff and colleagues to have been shocked when five detectives
entered Ward 14. They were abducted late last year and brutally
tortured before they were arraigned on charges ranging from terrorism,
banditry and sabotage.

The group of intruders who intimidated Dhlamini and Mudzingwa yesterday
comprised Detective Chief Inspector Ntini, Detective Inspector Muchada,
Detective Assistant Inspector Mukwaira and two other Detective
Assistant Inspectors whose names are unknown.

Detective Inspector Muchada is one of the state agents named by top
Zimbabwean lawyer Alec Muchadehama as part of the team behind the
kidnapping of civic and opposition activists last year.

The activists were abducted and severely tortured for prolonged periods
with the objective of forcing them to admit to plotting or carrying out
bombings as part of a military campaign to overthrow the Mugabe
government.

Shortly after the hospital visit by the five detectives, three prison
guards tried to force their way into the ward on the pretext of
providing security.

Later last night the same group of detectives returned, claiming they
were just passing through and asked how they were getting on.

Shortly afterwards, eight prison officers armed with AK rifles arrived
and said they had come to guard them on instruction from the police.
Although Ward 14 is small, they all crammed into it and stayed the
entire night.

In the morning, they were replaced by three other prison officers. A
silver Isuzu twin-cab with a canopy, used by the Criminal Investigation
Department (CID) has been parked outside.

According to the law, the police receive their prisoners from the
courts via a warrant of committal. It is a flagrant violation of the
law for police and prison officers to harass and intimidate citizens
who have been granted bail by the courts.

These events must be seen in the context of a report in yesterday's
edition of the state-owned Herald newspaper indicating that the State
was pursuing a plan to revoke the bail granted on Friday to Dhlamini,
Mudzwinga and Shadreck Manyere.

Manyere, a freelance journalist, had been held under inhumane
conditions at the notorious Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison for
nearly four months, accused of terrorism.

While in custody, Mudzingwa was beaten severely over his entire body
with sticks, had his feet smashed with bricks and was subjected to
simulated drowning.

After prolonged torture sessions, Dhlamini was suspended from a
considerable height and subjected to assaults all over his body as well
as beatings on the soles of his feet.

Subsequently he was hung upside down and either fell or was dropped
from this height, sustaining severe injuries. He too was submerged in
water during mock drownings and was kept in solitary confinement close
to starvation.

According to an unnamed commentator, nobody's safety can be guaranteed in Zimbabwe.

The commentator described the team of government spies, police and
military intelligence officers involved in the kidnappings and torture
as a terrorist group bent on sabotaging the potential of the
transitional government.

This is a rebel group with its roots in the compromised justice system
and there is no respect for the rule of law. Those who have been
detained, tortured and killed are the victims of a junta which is
trying to destabilise the country and destroy all forms of opposition,
he said.

The commentator urged the Southern African Development Community, the
African Union, human rights organisations and international governments
to ensure that the detainees were protected.

Neither the European Union nor the United States should consider
lifting the targeted sanctions imposed on individuals and parastatals
until the rule of law is restored and human rights are respected, he
said.

Zimbabwe Exiles Forum