3.3
Complainant B
3.3.1 Complainant lives in Komboniyatsva area of Epworth and alleges that on
Monday 4th of July 2016 he was selling in his tuck-shop which is located at
his house. Someone informed him that the Anti-riot Police had arrived and
were overpowered by the touts so they had called for reinforcement. When
the reinforcement arrived with police dogs and teargas, the touts had fled.
He was also alerted that the Police was moving from house to house in
search of the touts so he closed his tuck-shop and locked himself inside.
3.3.2 The Anti-riot police arrived at his house and kicked open the tuck-shop door.
They started beating him all over his body with baton sticks and stepping
on him with their boots. They also used bare hands to beat him.
3.3.3 He tried to explain to them that he had not gone to the bus-stop and that he
had a painful leg which was surgically operated on but they did not listen.
Instead instructed him to lie down and started beating him on the painful
leg.
3.3.4 Afterwards, they tied a rope around his waist in his trousers buckles and
joined him together with the other men that had been rounded up. The
Police continued to round up men and tying them up together.
3.3.5 The police unleashed police dogs on some of the men who were bitten and
sustained some dog bites. The complainant and the men were also beaten
up one by one under the feet using baton sticks.
3.3.6 Complainant, together with the other men who were rounded up in the
houses were ferried to Harare Central Police Station where they were made
to sit on in the lawn for a long time before they were attended to.
Complainant recalls that there were about 54 men from Epworth.
Complainant and the other men were held for two nights at the Harare
Central Police Station on a charge of inciting public violence.
3.3.7 On Wednesday the 6th July 2016, complainant and the other men were
taken to court. The lawyers from ZLHR represented them and applied for
bail but they were told to come back the next day. They slept at Harare
Remand Prison. Bail of US$100 was granted on Thursday the 7 th of July
2016 and he paid but he was only released on Saturday the 9th of July
2016.
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