Zimbabwe police assault lawyers.

In the wake of harassment, threats and assaults on human rights lawyers at the hands of the police, senior legal practitioners Alec Muchadehama and Andrew Makoni were arrested and detained during the course of their business on 4 May 2007 on charges of obstructing the course of justice.

Members of the Law Society of Zimbabwe were then subjected to the full brutality of the state when they attempted to gather for a peaceful solidarity protest outside the High Court of Zimbabwe in Harare on 8 May.

Lawyers were due to present a petition to the Minister of Justice, the Attorney General and the Commissioner of Police urging full and immediate protection of lawyers and prosecutors in the execution of their professional duties.

Around 60 lawyers had gathered outside the High Court when they were ordered by Chief Superintendent Tenderere to disperse. As lawyers began to disperse, riot police, uniformed officers and plain-clothes individuals wielding baton sticks began to threaten the lawyers, verbally abuse them, and prod them with their batons.

Led by the President of the Law Society, Beatrice Mtetwa, and two other Councillors of the Law Society, Collin Kuhuni and Chris Mhike, a number of lawyers dispersed in the direction of the Attorney General's office, walking on the pavement. Without provocation or warning, police began assaulting the lawyers with batons, because they "were not dispersing fast enough". Senior lawyer Mordecai Mahlangu and Acting Director of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Irene Petras, were amongst those subjected to such assaults.

When Mtetwa, Kuhuni, Mhike and another lawyer ran into the Attorney General's office to seek protection from the police, they were chased by riot police, and found other officers already waiting for them inside the building. The four were loaded into a police truck and driven to Eastlea, where they were offloaded and severely beaten with batons in full view of the public. Police then abruptly abandoned them on the side of the road.

Source: Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights

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