The report shows the epitome of the violence was in March. This was when opposition political party leaders, supporters, civil society activists, church leaders and scores of the general Zimbabwean public were brutalized and arrested for converging at Zimbabwe Grounds in Highfields for an intended prayer meeting.
A number of the victims on that fateful day were incarcerated in police stations dotted across Harare. Furthermore, the ZRP shot and killed one, Gift Tandari, NCA member, allegedly for being the ‘ring – leader’ in the running battles that ensued between the police and the people intending to have the prayer meeting.
Following the violence on 11 March, an orgy of violence and a resurgence in abductions ensued, mainly perpetrated against human rights defenders, MDC supporters and leadership reportedly by state security agents. Another disturbing trend has been the abduction of MDC supporters by suspected CIO agents usually driving unmarked vehicles. The abductees in most instances have been dumped outside Harare after having been tortured.
Cases of lawyers being physically and verbally assaulted whenever they visited their clients at police stations have been recorded. The situation was so bad that in some of the cases, lawyers witnessed their clients being tortured in front of them.