[{"command":"settings","settings":{"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","suppressDeprecationErrors":true,"ajaxPageState":{"libraries":"eJwry0wtL9YvA5F6iVmJFTplSAK5-SmlOakA-D8NyQ","theme":"hrw_design","theme_token":null},"ajaxTrustedUrl":[],"views":{"ajax_path":"\/views\/ajax","ajaxViews":{"views_dom_id:blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__321277__en":{"view_name":"blog_live_feed","view_display_id":"blog_body_block","view_args":"321277","view_path":"\/blog\/content\/321277","view_base_path":null,"view_dom_id":"blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__321277__en","pager_element":0}}},"csp":{"nonce":"K5E3h-p1L0WHSbXiZQdn7Q"},"user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"bc8921424f39d39c64af84232b603fadae46f840a8176c1b2436a5ee00791ac5"}},"merge":true},{"command":"add_css","data":[{"rel":"stylesheet","media":"all","href":"\/sites\/default\/files\/css\/css_AJtnZDRKiPcDwZRF9CRxhLi7MMNATzBRLvIhNfcurrs.css?delta=0\u0026language=en\u0026theme=hrw_design\u0026include=eJxLzi9K1U8pKi1IzNFLzEqs0CnLTC0v1geTern5KaU5qQDy8w2e"}]},{"command":"add_js","selector":"body","data":[{"src":"\/sites\/default\/files\/js\/js_VAWKYxPX4vFoyXs0iEPUrnc99CjyNLIu_pZawjEz9i8.js?scope=footer\u0026delta=0\u0026language=en\u0026theme=hrw_design\u0026include=eJwry0wtL9YvA5F6iVmJFQA22wZe"}]},{"command":"insert","method":"replaceWith","selector":".js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__321277__en","data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__321277__en\u0022\u003E\n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n\n \u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022blog-block__content__description rich-text pt-6 mb:pt-10 mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EA disturbing pattern is emerging in Harare of masked and unidentified assailants beating, harassing and even abducting people because they suspect the victims know the whereabouts of senior opposition MDC Alliance officials.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFor example, on August 5 at around 2 am, six masked men broke into the house of MDC Alliance Youth Chair, Happymore Chidziva. A woman in the house told Human Rights Watch that when she screamed for help, one of the men pointed a rifle at her head and told her to be quiet or risk death. One of the men slapped and kicked her.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022twitter-tweet\u0022 data-lang=\u0022en\u0022\u003E\n\t\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022 lang=\u0022en\u0022 xml:lang=\u0022en\u0022\u003E1am phone call with \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/BitiTendai?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\u0022\u003E@BitiTendai\u003C\/a\u003E, a leader in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/MDCAllianceZW?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\u0022\u003E@MDCAllianceZW\u003C\/a\u003E led by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/nelsonchamisa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\u0022\u003E@nelsonchamisa\u003C\/a\u003E: \u0022I am under military siege, holed up somewhere. Gen. Chiwenga is in charge. The international community shld know.\u0022 Yesterday his car was shot at, vandalised. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/burke_jason?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\u0022\u003E@burke_jason\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/simonallison?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\u0022\u003E@simonallison\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/263Chat?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\u0022\u003E@263Chat\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\t\u2014 Dewa Mavhinga (@dewamavhinga) \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/dewamavhinga\/status\/1026605861752524800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\u0022\u003EAugust 6, 2018\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Cscript async src=\u0022https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\u0022 charset=\u0022utf-8\u0022\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe attackers also beat up members of three other families in the house, then abducted two of the men. The masked men put the abducted men in a white double-cab truck and drove them to a secluded place along Masvingo road, then beat and kicked them for an hour before releasing them. During the beatings, the armed men allegedly kept saying, \u201cThe choice is yours, to tell us where Happymore Chidziva is, or to die.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFour armed men also stormed the house of Mirriam Mushayi, an MDCA parliament member, in Kuwadzana at midnight on August 5 looking for her, but she was already in hiding. Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that the men allegedly had a list of five MDCA officials they were looking for.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe following day, armed men fired gunshots a car belonging to Tendai Biti, a senior MDCA official. Biti was not in the car at the time and no-one was injured. In a phone call with Human Rights Watch after the incident, Tendai Biti said, \u0022I am under military siege, holed up somewhere. Gen. Chiwenga [Deputy president and Security Forces minister] is in charge. The international community should know.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThere are other cases though in which the assailants are neither unknown nor masked. On August 6, seven policemen in plain clothes picked up opposition activist Jim Kunaka\u2019s wife, Loveness Sithole, and his younger brother Godknows Kunaka, and detained them at Harare Central Police Station for several hours demanding to know Jim Kunaka\u2019s whereabouts. Loveness Sithole told Human Rights Watch the policemen forced her to leave her three-month old baby at home and beat her and Godknows Kunaka during the interrogation.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Zimbabwe authorities should immediately put an end to abuses by its law enforcement and security officers, guarantee security for all its citizens, and hold accountable all of those behind this wave of violence and abductions.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n","settings":null},{"command":"insert","method":"prepend","selector":".js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__321277__en","data":"","settings":null}]