Mukoko, Mudzingwa, Chiramba seen by doctors but sent back to jail

By Violet Gonda
12 December 2008

Three of the most seriously ill political detainees were finally given proper unrestricted access to medical doctors on Thursday, but were forced back to prison. Civic leader Jestina Mukoko, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s former aide Ghandi Mudzingwa, and 72-year old MDC activist Fidelis Chiramba were taken to the Avenues Clinic, where they were seen by two doctors – from the state, and the private sector.

But despite both doctors agreeing that the three should be hospitalised, they were still sent back to Chikurubi Maximum Prison early Thursday evening.

Irene Petras from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), who was at the Avenues clinic, said both the state and the private doctor had recommended that the detainees needed to stay in hospital but there were ‘instructions’ that the three should be returned to jail.

She said the victims have suffered many injuries, from the time they were abducted and while being held incommunicado in detention. Their condition had deteriorated because they had not received adequate medical treatment while in jail.

She said recorded affidavits by the victims showed they suffered physical and psychological torture after they were subjected to numerous assaults on their bodies and under their feet, ‘all in an effort to extract false confessions from them.’

Charamba, the 72-year old activist, was forced into a freezer, stripped naked and had his genitals burned with hot water.

Mudzingwa was beaten severely all over his body, had his feet smashed with bricks, and was then subjected to simulated drowning.

In papers filed at the Harare High Court Mukoko said: "I was tortured. At first I was assaulted on the soles of my feet with a hard rubber object while I was sitting on the floor. Later, I was told to raise my feet to a table, and then everyone in the room started assaulting me.”

"They took a break for a while then started beating me again. And beatings continued every few hours. The men were always visibly drunk, many of them with bottles of liquor in their hands."

She said at one point she was told to kneel on gravel and was beaten thoroughly.

Scores of civic and political detainees gave similar horrifying testimonies. They are all still in jail despite assurances by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Wednesday ‘that they are not going to remain in those dungeons any day, or any week longer.’

The new Prime Minister has come under fire for making demands and promises concerning the release of the detainees, but then failing to follow up on them.

Gugulethu Moyo from the International Bar Association (IBA) said it was disappointing that Mr Tsvangirai went into government in the first place, without making sure that the detainees had been released. She said this was an important negotiating point, ‘simply because many of those people were detained unlawfully.’ Some of the activists are still unaccounted for.

Critics say the MDC leader should have stuck to his principles, and many are now waiting to see how he intends to exert any influence in the inclusive government.

Meanwhile, two lawyers from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and eight activists from the Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) were released on bail on Thursday after spending two days in police custody. They were charged with participating in an unlawful demonstration and disorderly conduct. The 10 are expected to appear in court in March for the commencement of the trial.

However, the pressure group said the demonstration was peaceful and the ZLHR says the arrests were indiscriminate. It also denies that their lawyers were participating in the WOZA demonstration.

Moyo said it is clear that the MDC has not yet persuaded ZANU PF to change its ways.

She said: “I do think given the bold statements and commitment that Mr Tsvangirai was making in his inaugural speech, and also Mr. Mugabe’s own statements, that he was committed to making those arrangements work. I think that the direction for change surely should be coming through and filtering through to people – the sense that things should be done differently.”

The IBA official added: “I don’t think people should wait for long and I don’t think they should be patient with this new government.