International rights group Amnesty International said Tuesday it feared a group of activists arrested during a protest march in Zimbabwe last week could face torture as a state clampdown intensified on dissenting voices in the run-up to a June presidential vote.
The 14 activists with the Women of Zimbabwe Arise group, one of whom is a man, were arrested during a protest march on May 28 in Harare, Amnesty said in a statement.
WOZA could not be immediately contacted for comment about the arrests but Amnesty said WOZA leaders Jenni Williams and Magadonga Mahlangu were among the 14, and that the activists were "in grave danger of torture or other ill treatment."
Continues Below ↓
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) also said another of its parliamentarians had also been arrested in what it called a pattern of victimization of its leaders.
Eric Matinenga, a lawyer and MP, was arrested Monday in Buhera after last week seeking a court interdict to stop soldiers campaigning for President Robert Mugabe, MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said.
"I suppose that's why they are trying to victimize him," Chamisa said. "They are targeting all opposition leaders. It's becoming a trend."
A severe crackdown on dissenting voices in Zimbabwe is underway in the aftermath of March 29 elections, in which Mugabe's Zanu-PF party suffered its first ever defeat at the hands of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
Mugabe also took fewer votes than MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai for president. The two are set to contest a run-off on June 27.
Critics say the campaign of intimidation against opposition members and activists, seen together with a campaign of violence against opposition supporters in rural areas that has killed at least 50 people, is designed to crush the opposition ahead of the election.
Continues...
|
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Digg
Delicious
Newsvine
Facebook
muti
Twitter
