Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum: Report on violence against peaceful protestors in Harare This has to be a deliberate act of anarchy orchestrated by ZANU (PF) in an effort to try and retain its grip on power by intimidation, the rule of fear and violence. The ZANU (PF) supporters have brought tear gas and violence to the streets. The city is now being patrolled by helicopters and riot police as the peaceful marchers and bystanders flee for safety from the stick welding ZANU (PF) supporters and the tear gas and riot police they bring with them. No 7 – Account by Mick Pearce I arrived outside the Causeway Post Office at 9.15am as advertised in several papers previously to attend the N.C.A. march for Peace. I soon found out that the 50 to 60 policemen armed with batons and helmets were there not to protect us but to tell us that the march was illegal. At about 9.45 a large truck full of armed police with an officer speaking through an amplifier. “This gathering is illegal disburse in 2 minutes” I saw an N.C.A. official walk up to him with the court order which stated that the police were not to interfere with this march, that it was permitted and should have police protection. The officer disregarded the N.C.A. official saying that the court order was a photostat copy and repeated his order to the crowd to disburse. Grace Kwinjeh and I looked at each other and decided to sit down and many others behind us followed. The police marched forward and picked me up. I went limp to increase my weight but in no way resisted. Shame Chisirimunhu, Oniah Ndambakuwa and Shepherd Towindo were bundled into a Landrover with us and we were taken to the Central Police Station. After two hours we were in the Law and Order department where we were asked to sign an admission of guilt statement, pay a $200 fine and we could go. We all refused and said we wanted a lawyer. Concern Ncube arrived. The police then produced their charge that we had acted in a manner to provoke public disorder and violence. We all denied this charge and we each signed our statement of denial. We were then told that we would have to spend the weekend in the cells before trial on Monday morning. The only good thing about the cells was the 24 inmates. The accommodation was not good. Only six bunks and eight blankets and one WC in a room 2.1mtrs x 6 metres wide with a very small high level slit window and one glaring fluorescent tube over the door. After the first four hours an officer from Law and Order came and again asked us to sign the admission of guilt statement and we could go. We all refused. We were brought food by friends so that we did not have to eat the sadza and cabbage diet and generally the wardens were jovial well disciplined and sometimes quite charming. My fellow prisoners were very friendly and supportive. On Monday morning we were led out to the Law and Order department and then to a Landrover taking us to court via the Attorney General’s office. We waited in the street outside while the officers consulted with the AG. They returned half an hour later and we were taken, not to court, but back to the Central Police Station. Here we were lined up and told that we could go free but the case was “pending further investigations”. This was not very satisfactory for us because clearly there was no case to answer and they were avoiding an embarrassment. No 8 – Report by Standard Reporter This report appeared in a local newspaper, The Standard, on 2 April under the headline “Havoc in City.” Riot police unleashed teargas in Harare’s Central Business District to break up violent clashes yesterday when ZANU (PF) supporters descended on 8 000 demonstrators participating in a peaceful march organised by the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA). The ZANU (PF) supporters, wielding iron bars and clubs, confronted the NCA marchers along Harare’s Union Avenue, between Julius Nyerere Way and First Street. Saturday shoppers, who were unaware of - 16 -