Torture rife in prisons

An investigation by The Zimbabwean has found a high disregard of basic human rights for prisoners in the country’s jails.

“We have recorded several cases of prisoners being beaten for various reasons during their detention. But the problem is that when we go there to find out from the prisoners themselves, some of them are not willing to open up because they fear victimisation. Some prisoners choose to suffer in silence because they fear the consequences associated with revealing the manner in which they are being treated,” said Edison Chiota, Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Association of Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation of the Offender.

MDC-T Deputy National Chairman, Morgen Komichi, who spent three months in detention facing charges of electoral fraud told this newspaper that prisoners were being subjected to various forms of torture and inhuman treatment.

“Sometimes we would be told to strip naked and then jump around with our legs and arms wide open with prison officers claiming that they would be searching for things that were not allowed inside the cells. One inmate was severely tortured after he protested against the inhuman treatment. He was handcuffed and beaten several times under the feet until he bled,” said Komichi.

He said violation of human rights was very much pronounced to an extent that the country’s prisons have been reduced to “hell” and are no longer serving their purpose of rehabilitating offenders.

The Director of the Female Prisoners Trust, Rita Nyamupinga, confirmed having received reports of torture of inmates, although she said that the practice was mostly pronounced during detention by the police.

“The torture is mostly common when the accused persons are in the hands of the police. We have received complaints from some women to the effect that they would be tortured by police in a bid to force them to admit to crimes they have not committed. But in the jails, those cases are minimal,” said Nyamupinga.

Former inmates interviewed by The Zimbabwean confirmed that cases of torture were high. Francis Vambai, one of the MDC-T activists accused of killing a police officer in Glen View in May 2011, said he, together with other inmates, were tortured when they turned up late for the daily searches.

“To be honest with you, people are being treated like animals in the prisons. I had a first-hand experience of the torture one day when we turned up late for searches and we were beaten up by a group of more than 10 prison officers. The treatment is so bad and once you are in there, it’s like you cease to be a human being who is has any rights at all,” said Vambai.

Another former inmate, Paul Rukanda, said: “There is a lot of torture that we witnessed during our stay in jail. Some inmates would be put in solitary confinement after having been severely beaten by the prison officers. Sometimes, people would be beaten for resisting outrageous demands from the prison officers or daring to voice their concerns when they felt that their rights were being infringed,” said Rukanda.

In September, a former female inmate, Kerina Dewa, related how she and her colleagues would be told to strip in front of some male prison officers who told them they were conducting searches for forbidden items.

Another former inmate, AugustineTengenyika said that in some cases, prison officers would demand food from inmates that had been brought by their relatives. He said failure to comply would attract negative consequences which included physical abuse.

“There was a time when we used to give them but later on, we started resisting and after that they started ill-treating us. For example, they would tell you that they do not want you to carry your food into the cells and force you to consume it all at once,” said Tengenyika.

Alec Muchadehama, a member of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, blamed government for turning a blind eye to the situation. “The torture of prisoners is real and there is a lot of abuse in the prisons. The ZPS is part of the government, so they are actually the perpetrators and it is up to organisations that represent the prisoners to ensure they stand up against what is wrong. Prisoners must be accorded their rights and not be treated inhumanely,” said Muchadehama.

MDC-T Shadow Minister for Justice, Jessie Majome said she was very concerned.

“Prison conditions, which include torture, in Zimbabwe have long been a cause of concern given the need to inculcate a human rights culture and the government’s refusal to ratify the UN Convention Against Torture. This must be done as soon as possible,” said Majome, who is also the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Justice.

“I appeal to members of the public with evidence of torture in police and prison custody to bring it to my committee in terms of the new constitution which allows the public to petition Parliament,” she added.

Zimbabwe Prison Services spokesperson, Simon Kaondo, requested questions in writing but had not responded by the time of going to print.