{"id":12995,"date":"2019-08-30T17:00:24","date_gmt":"2019-08-30T17:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.com\/zimbabwe\/?p=12995"},"modified":"2019-08-30T17:00:24","modified_gmt":"2019-08-30T17:00:24","slug":"activists-say-eds-new-zimbabwe-no-different-from-mugabes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.cc\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/activists-say-eds-new-zimbabwe-no-different-from-mugabes","title":{"rendered":"Activists say ED\u2019s \u2018new Zimbabwe\u2019 no different from Mugabe\u2019s"},"content":{"rendered":"

Zimbabwe\u2019s commitments to respecting and upholding rights are under scrutiny as critics of the government are increasingly abducted and tortured. Such practices were common during the reign of Robert Mugabe<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 37-year-old rights activist Tatenda Mombeyarara breathes heavily as he struggles to walk on crutches. He is recovering after surgery on his broken left ankle and index finger. He was abducted and tortured on the night of August 13 by assailants who accused him of plotting to overthrow Zimbabwe\u2019s government.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had just fallen asleep when I heard a loud noise on my window,\u201d Mombeyarara told DW. \u201cSeveral voices were shouting: \u2018Police! Police! Open or we will break this down!\u2019 So, the moment I saw the masks, I knew it was too late.\u201d<\/p>\n

Upon their return from the Maldives to Zimbabwe in May after a workshop on civic engagement, Mombeyarara and six colleagues from a citizens movement were arrested and charged with subversion. He said he now lived in fear. \u201cI feel besieged after this ordeal,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t even feel free to walk the streets of Harare<\/a>.\u201d His fear is not because he has done anything wrong, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you are under the care of a government and you feel attacked by the same government,\u201d Mombeyerara said, \u201cit is a nightmare, it\u2019s a bad feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mugabe\u2019s tactics resurface<\/p>\n

State security agencies are suspected to have been involved in incidents that have targeted scores of opposition supporters, rights activists and even comedians who poke fun at political leaders. The heavily armed agents reportedly raid homes during the night. Such incidents happened during the long rule of Robert Mugabe but are now resurfacing under the new president, Emmerson Mnangagwa.<\/p>\n

There is increasing tension between the government and citizens as a result of the poor state of the economy. The cost of living has gone up dramatically in the past year. Inflation is now pegged at over 175%. Zimbabweans have been calling on the government to address the situation, but it appears as if the state is responding by silencing critical voices.<\/p>\n

Activists say 26 members of Zimbabwe\u2019s mainstream opposition movements have been abducted and tortured since August 14. However, the government has denied any hand in the brutal torture of critics. Government spokesperson Nick Mangwana told DW that \u201crogue elements\u201d within state security had abducted people to tarnish the president\u2019s reengagement with the international community.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernment does not abduct citizens,\u201d Mangwana said. \u201cIf anyone is suspected of having committed a crime, government \u2014 through its institutions of police \u2014 will arrest and put the people before trial, and evidence are adduced against them, and, if convicted, they will serve their penalty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018The primary perpetrator\u2019<\/p>\n

Rights lawyers say the government is not doing enough to protect its citizens and investigate cases of torture. \u201cThe Zimbabwean state is failing to guarantee the personal security of its citizens,\u201d Doug Coltart, a human rights lawyer and victim of police brutality, told DW. \u201cSection 52 of the constitution guarantees the right of all people to freedom from violence from public or private sources. If anything, all of the evidence points towards the state being the primary perpetrator of the abuses,\u201d Coltart said.<\/p>\n

International missions to Zimbabwe have also sharply rebuked the government in light of the increasing attacks on critics. \u201cGoing to people in the evening with masks and beating them is absolutely intolerable,\u201d Bishow Parajuli, the UN country coordinator for Zimbabwe, told reporters. \u201cThat should not be the right thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parajuli called on leaders to use dialogue as a means of resolving the issues affecting Zimbabwe. \u201cThere should be a conversation,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is time in the new Zimbabwe to build trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the beginning of the millennium, rights violations had resulted in the sanctioning of Zimbabwe\u2019s political leaders. The atrocities also led to the isolation of the southern African country from the international community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Zimbabwe\u2019s commitments to respecting and upholding rights are under scrutiny as critics of the government are increasingly abducted and tortured. Such practices were common during the reign of Robert Mugabe. The 37-year-old rights activist Tatenda Mombeyarara breathes heavily as he struggles to walk on crutches. He is recovering after surgery on his broken left ankle […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":8605,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,8,12],"tags":[31,28,149],"class_list":{"0":"post-12995","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-head-lines","9":"category-policy","10":"tag-mnangagwa","11":"tag-mugabe","12":"tag-president"},"yoast_head":"\nActivists say ED\u2019s \u2018new Zimbabwe\u2019 no different from Mugabe\u2019s - zimbabwe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/activists-say-eds-new-zimbabwe-no-different-from-mugabes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Activists say ED\u2019s \u2018new Zimbabwe\u2019 no different from Mugabe\u2019s\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Zimbabwe\u2019s commitments to respecting and upholding rights are under scrutiny as critics of the government are increasingly abducted and tortured. 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