Amnesty International Condemns "Callous" Attacks Against CCC Supporters In Murewa

Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for East and Southern Africa, Flavia Mwangovya, has condemned the brutal attacks against opposition Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) supporters by suspected ZANU PF activists in Murewa North recently.

Mwangovya described the attacks as “callous” and urged the Zimbabwean government to ensure that the upcoming general elections are held in a peaceful environment. Said Mwangovya:

This callous, politically motivated attack against older people who had simply attended a gathering for a political opposition party is outrageous.

Such cruel acts of violence, which have repeatedly marred Zimbabwe’s political landscape in the past, gravely threaten the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.

These attacks are clearly intended to harass and intimidate members of the political opposition in the months leading up to Zimbabwe’s upcoming election and could have a chilling effect throughout the country.

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The Zimbabwean authorities must take all necessary steps to prevent acts of politically motivated violence and refrain from issuing inflammatory statements that could incite similar attacks or deter people from expressing support for the political parties of their choice.

Authorities must launch a thorough, independent and impartial investigation and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.

The Zimbabwean authorities must also urgently launch a thorough, independent and impartial investigation into these assaults and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice in fair trials.

They must also fully respect and protect the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly in the lead-up to, during, and after the upcoming election.

Background

In a viral social media video, which appears to have been filmed by one of the assailants, a group of suspected ZANU PF supporters can be seen kicking and beating with sticks older people in Ward 4 of Bhunu Village, Murehwa North, a rural district of Mashonaland East Province.

In the short clip, older men and women can be seen being assaulted and interrogated for attending a political gathering for the Nelson Chamisa-led CCC. | Amnesty International