In the past few years I have been beaten and mistreated by the police many times. The last time, I was coming from a meeting with colleagues about the evictions when I was arrested in Mbare and taken to the police station and beaten by the police who accused me of belonging to the opposition. I was released without charge on the next day. I didn’t go to the hospital or the police. I just went and healed by myself. For me there was no point in going to the hospital or reporting it to the police who are the abusers. The police usually beat you [on the soles of] your feet, or they slap you or hit you in a certain way that does not show injuries. It is very difficult for doctors to ascertain how the injuries came about. In most cases you just go home and rest until you feel better.67 Lawyer Alec Muchadehama told Human Rights Watch: Once they [the police] see that they have assaulted [our clients] they invariably deny access because they know it will come to the attention of the lawyers. When they are due to appear in court the police tell them to walk straight and not to shuffle even when they are clearly in pain. This is in an attempt to hide their injuries. Some of the assailants cannot be identified because they involve intelligence officers and members of the army.68 67 Human Rights Watch interview with human rights activist (name withheld), Harare, September 28, 2006. The evictions the interviewee refers to are described in Human Rights Watch, Evicted and Forsaken: Internally displaced persons in the aftermath of Operation Murambatsvina, vol. 17, no. 16(A), December 2005, http://hrw.org/reports/2005/zim1205/index.htm. 68 Human Rights Watch interview with Alec Muchadehama, Harare, October 4, 2006. “you will be thoroughly beaten” 24