Zimbabwe police beat and arrest journalist covering demo

By Violet Gonda
13 September 2006

A Reuters cameraman Mike Sabure was beaten and arrested in Harare while covering the protest marches organised by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, Wednesday.

Freelance journalist Gift Phiri told us Sabure was filming the police beating people when police officers wielding metre long baton sticks started beating him up. Phiri said the Reuters cameraman tried to show them his accreditation card but they kept assaulting him and bundled him into the police defender truck. He was arrested at the same time as civic leader Raymond Majongwe from the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, Grace Kwinjeh from the Tsvangirai MDC and several others.

The group is being held together with the Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) activists arrested on Monday.
The 107 WOZA women were arrested whilst trying to protest at Town House at the shocking service delivery experienced in the capital. One of the women arrested was rushed to Parirenyatwa hospital Tuesday to give birth after she went into labour in police custody.

Six more WOZA were arrested alongside ZCTU protesters in Bulawayo on Wednesday.