Zimbabwe: authorities must investigate reports of abduction and torture of opposition activist
Nelson Mukwenha allegedly apprehended at his home in Harare after helping to prevent the abduction of a Citizens Coalition for Change spokesperson at a press conference
Country has history of political abductions
‘The Zimbabwean authorities must ensure that enforced disappearances and abductions are treated as extremely serious crimes’ - Khanyo Farisè
Amnesty International has called for an urgent investigation into reports that Nelson Mukwenha, a political activist for opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change in Zimbabwe, was subjected to enforced disappearance and torture at the hands of the security forces.
On 26 August, Mukwenha was part of a crowd of people that prevented suspected security officials from abducting Promise Mkwananzi, a Citizens Coalition for Change spokesperson, during a press conference.
Later that same evening, Mukwenha was reportedly himself apprehended by security officials at his home in the Highfields township in Harare, tortured and then dumped in a forest in Mapinga on the outskirts of the capital.
Zimbabwe has a long history of enforced abductions and disappearances. In May last year, Citizens Coalition for Change activist Moreblessing Ali was abducted by an unidentified man following an argument. Her mutilated body was found three weeks later. In 2015, Itai Dzamara, an activist and journalist, was abducted by five men while at a barber shop in Harare. He has not been seen since.
Khanyo Farisè, Amnesty International’s Southern Africa Deputy Director, said:
“Amnesty International strongly condemns the enforced disappearance and torture of Nelson Mukwenha, allegedly at the hands of Zimbabwe’s security forces.
“Everyone, regardless of their political outlook, should be able to freely express themselves and participate in peaceful activism without the fear of abduction or harm.
“The Zimbabwean authorities must ensure that enforced disappearances and abductions are treated as extremely serious crimes, and ensure justice and accountability.”