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Cops ‘assault, torture’ man on bail

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A HARARE man, who recently appeared in court on $305 000 theft allegations, suffered a thorough beating and torture allegedly at the hands of a senior police officer after presenting himself at Harare Central Police Station for reporting as per his bail conditions.

A HARARE man, who recently appeared in court on $305 000 theft allegations, suffered a thorough beating and torture allegedly at the hands of a senior police officer after presenting himself at Harare Central Police Station for reporting as per his bail conditions.

BY CHARLES LAITON

court-gavel

Chawapiwa Kafesu was reportedly waylaid by an officer from the CID Homicide section on August 19 and was whisked to office number 39 occupied by Joseph Nemaisa, who allegedly perpetrated the alleged torture on him forcing a confession.

Kafesu has since filed an assault complaint against Nemaisa at Marimba Police Station under RRB2867179.

“I was hit by Nemaisa with fists three times in the stomach and at that moment I was handcuffed. Later, I was taken to the Homicide section where he (Nemaisa) followed shouting at me saying, I quote: ‘Bring back the money! How could you benefit alone?’” Kafesu’s statement read.

Kafesu said he was later severely assaulted by more than five officers who kicked him indiscriminately, while suspended on tables and he sustained life-threatening injuries.

His lawyers, Rubaya and Chatambudza Legal Practitioners, have since written to Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri expressing their displeasure at the senior police officer’s behaviour.

“We are concerned with the barbaric and patently unlawful behaviour exhibited by a very senior police officer of indiscriminately assaulting an accused person who is already appearing in court,” Harare lawyer, Admire Rubaya, said in a letter copied to the Prosecutor-General, Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, Director-General of the Central Intelligence Organisation, Minister of Justice, Minister of Home Affairs, Co-ordinator CID Harare Province, Regional Magistrate-Court 20 and Area Public Prosecutor Harare Province.

The lawyer said it was saddening that his client was supposed to be tried on August 18 only for the matter to be postponed on the basis that the docket had been recalled for further investigations.

“Unbeknown to our client, the further investigation was going to be a well-orchestrated torture where our client would be placed on the ‘bridge’ and assaulted with batons, fists and open hands, among other weapons which inflict harm,” he said.

“This Stone Age tactic of crime investigation has no space in our democratic Zimbabwe given that it strikes at the heart of the constitutional values enshrined in the supreme law of the land. We respect the organisation (Zimbabwe Republic Police) as an epitome of intelligence and crime prevention, but these are bad apples that put the good name of the force into disrepute.”

Rubaya also urged Chihuri to look into the matter and advise his law firm before further legal action is pursued.