Family accuses police of executing son

By Mugove Tafirenyika

HARARE – The family of theft-accused Allen Mbewe yesterday accused Chegutu police of “executing” their son, as officers insist he overdosed on anti-retroviral drugs.

Mbewe family lawyers Bherebhende Law Chambers claim armed police killed the 44-year-old.

The suspect was found dead in police cells at Chegutu Police Station on September 17 following his arrest for theft.

According to an initial report by Chegutu police, rejected by the deceased’s family, Mbewe was found dead during a routine cell check.

“The deceased was arrested for a case of theft by CID Chegutu details and detained at the ZRP Chegutu holding cells,” the police report says.

“He was found dead upon cell check at around 0600hrs. The now-deceased was on anti-retroviral treatment and had some tablets which he is suspected to have overdosed himself with as he was complaining of high body temperature after taking the tablets.”

But the family held police responsible for Mbewe’s death and is demanding a fresh inquiry.

“We request that you cause a new professional fresh post-mortem of the deceased as our clients suspect that their relative was subjected to brutal assault by the police which they suspect to have caused the death,” the attorneys wrote to Chegutu police on September 21.

The family says there are secret areas of evidence that were withheld from a coroner.

It also said they were concerned the secrecy will mean that some evidence will be suppressed.

The family barrister said the deceased’s family were under no illusion that Mbewe was “an angel”.

The family said Mbewe was entitled to be brought before a court of law to face a trial and if convicted, rightly and properly punished with the deprivation of his liberty.

It added that the fact he was strongly suspected of being involved in criminal wrongdoing does not justify him or anyone else being summarily killed.

The family further said they could not grieve properly until the truth was known about why their son was killed.

Rights groups and activists claim that there appears to be a police hit squad that is killing criminal suspects in custody.

The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), for example, documented more than a dozen cases between 2011 and 2013 of what appears to be a trend where suspects are arrested, tortured, beaten and shot.

“We have noticed an unusual pattern, especially in the vehicle theft squad.

“There is either gross complicity or, (more) likely, a culture of impunity towards the death of suspects in police custody,” the ZLHR report reads. Daily News