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Violence, recrimination and arrests after policeman's death in Glen View - Index of articles
Jailed MDC activists denied access to medical treatment
Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC)
July 15, 2011
The eight MDC activists who are in remand prison on false charges
of murdering
a police officer in Glen View, Harare are being denied access
to medical attention by prison officials despite a court ruling
ordering that they receive treatment.
This was revealed
today by defence lawyer, Jeremiah Bamu at the Harare Magistrates'
Courts where the eight, including 16 other MDC activists who are
out on bail appeared for their routine remand hearing.
The 24 MDC activists
are facing trumped up charges of murdering a police officer at Glen
View 3 Shopping Centre in May. The police officer was killed by
unknown revellers at a night club.
Bamu said those
in remand prison especially the female inmates are being denied
medical attention and were only getting pain killers.
"Yvonne
Musarurwa has a fracture on the left hand and blood is coming out
from a wound on the right leg. Cynthia Manjoro has a growth on the
left knee but this has not been attended to. She needs to go for
an urgent biopsy but this has not been done. The only medication
that they are receiving are pain killers and it is barely adequate
for the serious injuries they have," said Bamu.
On the previous
remand hearing, Magistrate Shane Kubonera had ruled that they should
have access to medical attention after they were severely assaulted
by the police. Councillor Tungamirai Madzokera of Ward 32 in Glen
View who is in remand prison had his left hand fractured after he
was assaulted while in police custody and the hand is in a plaster.
Bamu further
blasted the State for failing to carry out proper investigations
following complaints raised by the accused on their initial remand
hearing that they were assaulted by the police while in custody.
"We are
praying that these complaints against the police are carried out,
not by the police but by the Attorney General's Office or
any other independent body," said Bamu.
He accused the
AG's Office of showing bias and using "guerrilla tactics"
in prosecuting the 24 activists who were at one time denied access
to legal representation.
"I pray
that the court censure the behaviour shown at the AG's Office,"
said Bamu.
Magistrate Kubonera
said he would make a ruling on the complaints raised by the defence
lawyer at the next remand hearing on 29 July.
However, Bamu
insisted that the State should set a trial date on next remand hearing.
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