van and a truck. I saw them beating the colleagues who were put into the van. They were too many and couldn’t fit and police started hitting them with their baton sticks to force them into the van. I was put onto a truck.8 On the same day about 20 police officers arrested 13 ZCTU members during a demonstration in a Harare suburb. The group was ordered to stop their demonstration and sit down. According to one activist, “[T]he police fired some shots in the air. They forced us down with their baton sticks and told us we were demonstrating illegally and then they started beating us.”9 While on the ground the trade unionists were beaten with batons and rifle butts, and kicked. After about half an hour of beatings they were ordered to go home. On September 20, up to 180 members of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) were arrested for demonstrating in Mutare city center.10 According to the account of one NCA member, police forced the activists to sit on the ground, and then beat them with batons before taking them to Mutare Central police station.11 A medical report given to Human Rights Watch by a private medical practitioner who visited and examined 29 of the activists soon after their arrest found that many of the victims had sustained injuries on their backs and arms that to him were consistent with blows by a blunt object.12 Many of the victims also had “defensive injuries” on their arms and hands.13 In an incident on September 25, police violently disrupted a peaceful march by about 500 NCA members demonstrating for a new constitution and protesting the assault by police officers of the 15 ZCTU members in Harare.14 NCA Information Officer Columbus Mavunga told Human Rights Watch that when the demonstrators reached 8 Human Rights Watch interview with Raymond Majongwe, October 2, 2006. 9 Human Rights Watch interview with civil society activist (name withheld), Harare, October 5, 2006. 10 Human Rights Watch interview with Columbus Mavunga, information officer, NCA, Harare, September 26, 2006. 11 Human Rights Watch interview with medical personnel (name withheld), Harare, October 4, 2006. 12 Ibid. 13 Ibid. 14 Human Rights Watch interview with Columbus Mavunga, Harare, September 26, 2006. “you will be thoroughly beaten” 8