died at Avenues clinic on May 9, Jemedze from renal failure. Fushirai Dofu died on
May 10 at Howard hospital.76
A government doctor who spoke to Human Rights Watch confirmed that three of the
men who died had severely mutilated genitals, beaten and swollen testicles, one
had crushed testicles. Many of the men he treated had damaged genitals. The doctor
also confirmed that many of the women beaten on that day sustained severe injuries
to the buttocks requiring skin grafts.77
Killed for Owning a Radio: the Death of Joseph Madzuramhende
The relatives of Joseph Madzuramhende, one of the three men who died on
May 5, told Human Rights Watch about how he was beaten and tortured.
According to relatives who witnessed the beating, when the six ZANU-PF
youth started beating Madzuramhende they made him lie on his stomach like
the others but later turned him onto his back, and stuffed a cloth in his mouth
to prevent him from shouting out. They allegedly said to him: “Your particular
crime is that you have a radio at your place and other villagers were coming to
your home to listen to Studio 7 (Voice of America program which airs in
Zimbabwe) and to listen to election results and this is your crime.”
They took barbed wire and tied his genitals and tied the other end of the wire
to a log. They said: “We will beat you until you move the log with your penis.”
He attempted to do so and the wire was cutting into his genitals as they
continued to beat him. They then took another log, put his genitals on the log
and begun to beat the genitals. Later they tied another wire around his
genitals and started dragging him until a part of his genitals came off. After
the beatings Madzuramhende’s relatives put him on an ox cart. He was still
talking. He died in his home at around 8 p.m. that night in a leaning position
because he couldn’t lie on his stomach or his back due to his injuries.1
76
Human Rights Watch interviews with victims, Harare May 6 and May 7, 2008; Human Rights Watch interviews with relatives
of the dead men, Mashonaland Central, May 15, 2008, and Harare, May 1, 2008.
77
Human Rights Watch interview with doctor, Mashonaland Central, May 15, 2008.
“Bullets for Each of You”
38
Select target paragraph3
Add to table of contents