Time for accountability 21 the beatings with my hands. My hands were bleeding profusely. The beatings took [about] 30 to 40 minutes.” In a related case, Phillip Mabika,30 who was arrested at Harvest House, the MDC headquarters in Harare, following a police raid at the offices on 27 March 2007, told the court that he was tortured by the police who accused him of having been involved in petrol bombing state buildings and other properties. Police released him on 31 March only to have him rearrested on 4 April. He alleged that he was subjected to further beatings and torture. A wide range of detainees held by the Law and Order section told Amnesty International that they were subjected to falanga: beating of the soles of the feet with batons or metal rods. Sometimes the beating was so severe that the victim needed an operation to release the resulting accumulation of fluids. Victims often had problems walking. In extreme cases there is a risk of amputation if the victim does not receive medical attention in time. Hundreds of human rights defenders and political activists have been subjected to falanga in police custody in Zimbabwe. Another commonly reported form of torture in Law and Order section custody is suspension on a horizontal pole, like a roasting pig, and then being beaten all over the body with batons. This is sometimes referred to as the “bridge”. The victim’s hands and legs are bound together, often with handcuffs, a metal rod is then inserted between the hands and legs and the victim is suspended between two tables and beaten. Police also clap both ears, which ruptures the ear-drums. In other cases, victims were simply beaten all over the body by interrogators, who use a range of objects including batons and booted feet. Anti-riot police The anti-riot unit of the ZRP has consistently used excessive force to break up peaceful demonstrations by human rights defenders, political opposition activists and other government critics. Since 2000 thousands of peaceful demonstrators have sustained serious injuries as a result of use of excessive force by the police. Killing of Gift Tandare On 11 March 2007 anti-riot police used excessive force to break up a prayer meeting organized by the Save Zimbabwe Campaign in Harare’s low-income suburb of Highfield. Anti-riot police cordoned off the prayer meeting and used batons, water canons and dogs to disperse participants. One protestor, Gift Tandare, was shot dead by anti-riot police. The circumstances surrounding this killing are still unclear but police appear to have used disproportionate force against an unarmed protestor. It is Amnesty International AI Index: AFR 46/028/2008