November 2006
Volume 18, No. 10(A)
“You Will Be Thoroughly Beaten”
The Brutal Suppression of Dissent in Zimbabwe
I. Summary............................................................................................................... 1
II. Recommendations ...............................................................................................3
To the Government of Zimbabwe .........................................................................3
III. Introduction ........................................................................................................5
IV. Excessive Use of Force by Police during Demonstrations..................................... 7
V. Arbitrary Arrest and Detention of Civil Society Activists ..................................... 10
Arbitrary arrest and detention of NCA and WOZA activists.................................. 13
VI. Police Torture and Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment of Civil
Society Activists .................................................................................................... 15
Cases of torture and mistreatment .................................................................... 16
Police torture and mistreatment of student activists .................................... 16
Police torture and mistreatment of 15 trade unionists .................................. 19
Gender-based cruel and degrading treatment .............................................. 21
Impunity ........................................................................................................... 21
VII. Sustained Harassment and Intimidation of Human Rights Activists..................25
Acknowledgements................................................................................................28