Soldiers assault Daily News photographer
Soldiers manning queues at Batanai Supermarket in Harare yesterday assaulted Daily News photographer, Philimon Bulawayo after he took pictures of the long winding queues that have become prevalent at most shops.
Soldiers manning queues at Batanai Supermarket in Harare yesterday assaulted Daily News photographer, Philimon Bulawayo after he took pictures of the long winding queues that have become prevalent at most shops selling basic commodities. Bulawayo, 29, said he was approached by two soldiers while he was standing opposite Batanai Supermarket and they started assaulting him saying he was likely to take pictures. He said after the assault the soldiers handed him over to the police who took away his camera. The police then handcuffed him and took him to the Harare Central Police Station. At the police station he was made to sit on the floor and was further assaulted. Bulawayo said: “I was taken to another officer who took down my personal details and warned me not to visit any place where there would be long queues of people looking for basic commodities.”
Gugulethu Moyo, the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe legal adviser said the arrests of journalists from The Daily News is disturbing because it seems to have become a systematic, unlawful use of force and powers of arrest. Moyo said: “Over the last few months we have seen an escalation of detentions and police violence against our staff. The Zimbabwe Republic Police now as a matter of habit, detain our reporters, while on duty, on the pretext that they have committed criminal offences. “During these detentions, undue force is used against the reporters and they are denied other fundamental freedoms and then, quite predictably, they are released without charge,” she said. Moyo said although protections may exist at law against unlawful detention, torture, inhuman and degrading punishment and freedom of expression, these protections become totally meaningless if the State institutions which exist to protect these very rights, become the key violators.