{"id":2699,"date":"2019-01-28T16:43:10","date_gmt":"2019-01-28T16:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.com\/zimbabwe\/?p=2699"},"modified":"2019-01-28T16:43:10","modified_gmt":"2019-01-28T16:43:10","slug":"military-brutality-now-global-crisis-for-ed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.cc\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/military-brutality-now-global-crisis-for-ed","title":{"rendered":"Military brutality now global crisis for ED"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>The ongoing savage crackdown by the military against innocent civilians \u2014 including killings, rape, torture and horrendous beatings of law-abiding citizens \u2014 has become a full-blown international human rights crisis for President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his government, the Daily News on Sunday can report.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Such is the extent of the global public relations disaster that now confronts Zimbabwe\u2019s so-called new dispensation \u2014 as a result of the dreadful conduct of the country\u2019s security forces over the past two weeks \u2014 that even hitherto friendly powers such as Britain are now turning against Zimbabwe.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>And from the United States of America to Germany, China and South Africa, the only coverage being given to Zimbabwe these days in those countries\u2019 mainstream media only relates to the brutal clampdown by authorities against dissenting voices.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Similarly, churches and global human rights organisations are churning out statement after statement on the military\u2019s atrocities in the country, meaning that Zimbabwe once again finds itself in the position which obtained in the last two decades of former president Robert Mugabe\u2019s ruinous rule \u2014 as a pariah among the global family of nations.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Not surprisingly, the United Kingdom is planning to take Zimbabwe\u2019s ongoing human rights abuses to all relevant multilateral forums \u2014 including the United Nations \u2014 Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said last week.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cWe all celebrated the demise of the Mugabe regime, feeling and hoping that a new chapter of Zimbabwean history was commencing. We are very concerned about the disproportionate response of the security forces to the recent protests,\u201d British minister of State in the Foreign Office, Mark Field, added.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>On its part, Amnesty International has called on authorities to reign in the security forces, and to see to it that they are held to account for the ongoing brutal human rights violations.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cAt least 12 people have been killed and dozens more injured by the security forces since protests began on 14 January.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cUp to 700 people, including minors, have been detained after being arrested on trumped-up charges or brought before courts in hearings that do not meet fair trial standards. Hundreds have been denied bail,\u201d Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International\u2019s regional director for southern Africa, said at the weekend.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cThe onslaught by the security forces has seen people killed, arbitrarily arrested, abducted, reportedly raped and jailed on suspicion of taking part in protests.<br \/>\nChildren as young as 11 years old have been detained on frivolous charges.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cThe Zimbabwean authorities must immediately halt their menacing threats towards civil society leaders, activists, opposition leaders, and suspected organisers of protests.<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe authorities must ensure that those who violated and continue to violate human rights face justice,\u201d Muchena added.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He said Amnesty International had documented a systematic pattern of human rights violations, including restrictions on public assembly, excessive use of force, arbitrary arrests, and the recent Internet shutdowns by authorities.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cA Zimbabwe that is prosperous and based on the rule of law will never be built by brutalising dissent. The authorities must immediately stop this merciless crackdown on activists, civil society leaders, and others who are guilty of nothing more than exercising their right to freedom of expression.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cPresident Mnangagwa has called on all Zimbabweans to come together during this difficult moment. That must include respecting human rights,\u201d Muchena said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>On its part, the military has denied that its members are responsible for the killings, rape and beatings \u2014 saying the perpetrators of these atrocities are \u201cbogus<br \/>\nelements\u201d working to sully the image of security forces.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cThe Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) has noted with concern allegations of misconduct and acts of violence &#8230; The actions of these bogus elements have subsequently put the image of the organisation into disrepute,\u201d it said this week.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>However, local churches and rights groups have disputed this rebuttal and also challenged the government to act to bring justice to the victims of the violence, which they say has reached \u201cepidemic levels.\u201d<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>In a rare rebuke of the government, the founder and senior pastor of Celebration Church, Tom Deuschle, said it was heart-breaking that dozens of victims of sexual violence in this conflict were children.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cI spoke to one of Zimbabwe\u2019s fine nurse counsellors yesterday. Stories of more than 23 children she had treated\u2014 all brutalised physically + sexually during recent political upheaval.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cThey all identified police as perpetrators! Unacceptable! Cannot be swept under the carpet,\u201d the respected cleric wrote on Twitter.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Last week, the Catholic Church in Zimbabwe also issued a withering criticism of the government, saying it should end the rights abuses in the country by the military.<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe, the Bishops of the Catholic Church in Zimbabwe, have observed with increasing concern and alarm the state of our Zimbabwean nation from the time of the military-assisted political change that took place in November 2017, to the total shutdown of Zimbabwe\u2019s major cities and rural trading centres that began on Monday, 14 January 2019.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cWe witnessed with sadness and concern the dissipation of hope for a united nation and a promising future when our politicians failed to harness the palpable oneness and goodwill prevailing among Zimbabweans across the political divide during and immediately after the political events of November 2017.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cGovernment\u2019s heavy-handed and intolerant handling of dissent and expression of rights by \u2026 the dissatisfied population resulted in injury and death to innocent ordinary people,\u201d the bishops said in their letter sent to the Vatican last week.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Meanwhile, Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa told the Daily News on Sunday yesterday that the government had launched probes into the alleged abuses by security forces.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cEverything will be investigated and no stone will be left unturned. We need peace to prevail,\u201d she said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Police also said they were separately investigating all accusations made against their officers and urged people to report \u201cwithout fear\u201d all those who had perpetrated the violence.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cThe ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage wishes to acknowledge reports of alleged rape, sexual abuse and assaults that have been perpetrated by security forces during the recent operation.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cSo far, the police have received one such report from St Mary\u2019s, Chitungwiza, and the case is already under investigation.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cWe take these rape allegations very seriously and investigations will be instituted immediately once complainants file reports with the police.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cLet me assure all Zimbabweans that \u2026 government takes an exception to anyone who perpetrates any form of crime, especially rape perpetrated against women and children,\u201d Home Affairs minister Cain Mathema said at the weekend.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Human rights groups said it was \u201cshocking \u201c that brutal acts of sexual and gender-based violence continued to be perpetrated even after Mnangagwa had promised to take action.<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\u201cMen in army uniforms allegedly raped three Form One girls today in Old Phumula, Bulawayo, &amp; 11 men in army uniforms ordered people at Bhangu shops in Mpopoma, Bulawayo to close their shops &amp; go indoors &#8230; no reasons given for directive,\u201d Human Rights Watch director for southern Africa , Dewa Mavhinga said on Twitter.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The ongoing savage crackdown by the military against innocent civilians \u2014 including killings, rape, torture and horrendous beatings of law-abiding citizens \u2014 has become a full-blown international human rights crisis for President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his government, the Daily News on Sunday can report. Such is the extent of the global public relations disaster that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":1474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[55,124,31,149],"class_list":{"0":"post-2699","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-policy","9":"tag-government","10":"tag-military","11":"tag-mnangagwa","12":"tag-president"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.1 (Yoast SEO v24.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Military brutality now global crisis for ED - 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\/military-brutality-now-global-crisis-for-ed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Military brutality now global crisis for ED\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The ongoing savage crackdown by the military against innocent civilians \u2014 including killings, rape, torture and horrendous beatings of law-abiding citizens \u2014 has become a full-blown international human rights crisis for President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his government, the Daily News on Sunday can report. 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