Human rights NGOs in Zimbabwe on Friday accused the security forces of nearly 250 cases of violence since the start of containment imposed on the population to stem the coronavirus pandemic.
Their coalition leader, Jestina Mukoko, declared to the press " horrified and scandalized " and called on the Minister of the Interior and the chief of police to shed light on these abuses. Herself a victim of violence by the police in the past, Ms. Mukoko notably asked for " a criminal investigation into the abduction and torture " of three members of the main opposition party. The three young women were found last week seriously injured on the side of a road on the outskirts of the capital Harare, two days after their disappearance during a demonstration.
The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), based on their testimony, accused the police of having arrested, beaten and tortured them. The government has categorically denied these allegations. The Zimbabwean regime's security forces are regularly singled out for the suppression of opposition activities and violence. President Emmerson Mnangagwa imposed confinement to seven weeks ago until further notice to slow the progression of Covid-19, causing 51 cases of infection and 4 deaths according to the latest report.