Jonathan Moyo admits police brutality tarnishing country’s image
By Tatenda Dewa | Harare Bureau |
Zanu PF politburo member and current Higher and Tertiary Education minister, Jonathan Moyo, has expressed concern over police brutality, saying it is bound to soil Zimbabwe’s already battered image.
Human rights defenders, embassies and political parties recently converged in rapping police for its heavy-handed tactics in responding to citizen protests against corruption, a worsening economy and poor policies.
Armed police this week beat up #Tajamuka activists, Sten Zvorwadza and Patson Dzamara who had visited Harare Central Police station to offer the law enforcement agents flowers as a peace gesture.
Taking to Twitter on Thursday, Moyo urged police to act lawfully.
“Law enforcement is essential, more so in these times of provocative antics, but it must be lawful. Remember 2007,” he tweeted yesterday.
He accompanied his tweet with a picture of Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) leader who was brutalised by police in 200, together with another man who was soaked in blood.
Moyo said pictures of violence instigated by State agents could worsen Zimbabwe’s standing in the eyes of the international community.
Zimbabwe is already considered a banana republic over its poor human rights record.
Currently, human rights defenders are seized with the disappearance of Itai Dzamara, a journalist turned activist who was abducted from his home in March 2015.
The former Information minister added in a separate interview with independent media that brutality against citizens was unconstitutional.
War veteran have already condemned police violence.
Augustine Chihuri, the police boss recently threatened to descend on social media activists who the government now views as terrorists. Nehanda Radio
