A Zimbabwe judge has heard how police allegedly tortured several activists accused of plotting an Egypt-style uprising against President Robert Mugabe.
|||Harare - Zimbabwe police tortured activists accused of plotting an Egypt-style uprising against President Robert Mugabe, their lawyer told a court on Thursday.
The magistrate stopped the proceedings after lawyer Alec Muchadehama said 12 of 46 people arrested on Saturday while watching DVDs of news footage of the mass protests in Egypt and Tunisia were beaten and forced to confess to charges of treason.
Lawyers said the group, comprising mostly young students, was at a meeting held to debate the implications for Zimbabwe of the unrest in North Africa. Police accused them of plotting the removal of Mugabe's government, lawyers said.
Senior government officials have repeatedly warned that any attempt to unseat the country's 87-year-old leader by similar means will be crushed. Mugabe has been in power for 31 years.
On Wednesday, the 46 activists were charged with treason, which carries the death sentence, and with attempting to subvert the constitutional government, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail.
Muchadehama said he had been able to speak to the activists for the first time on Thursday since their arrest six days ago. He said those beaten had not received medical attention.
Magistrate Munamato Mutevedzi ordered for all the victims to be taken to hospital for medical examinations. The hearing is to resume on Monday. - Sapa-dpa
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/activists-were-beaten-by-police-lawyer-1.1032041
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