allAfrica.com: Zimbabwe: Doctor Describes Human Rights Horror (Page 1 of 4)

Tuesday's arrest of Movement for Democratic Change leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, boosted the expressions of international outrage that began accelerating in early March over the violence used against Tsvangirai and other opponents of the Zimbabwe government. At that time, the MDC leader's skull was cracked and another MDC leader, Grace Kwinje suffered deep lacerations from police beatings. Scores of others were attacked by police. Many of the hurt poured into the Avenues Clinic in Harare to be treated by members of the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights. Police with pistols and batons swarmed in after them, demanding to be present during medical examinations. The clinic's head, Dr. Douglas Gwatidzo , who is also chairman of the human rights association ordered them out and backed them off. Doctor Gwatidzo spoke to the U.S. Congressional Human Rights Caucus last Friday. He also spoke with AllAfrica.com's Charles Cobb . Although the situation of government opponents appears to be worsening Gwatidzo continues to wear an optimistic face. Excerpts:

Let's start immediately with what's happening now. You are a doctor, you have been dealing in the last few weeks with injuries to the Zimbabwe opposition. What exactly are you seeing?

What we, I have been seeing in Zimbabwe is torture basically by government agents, of people who were gathering to hold peaceful prayers for the problems that Zimbabwe is going through. It was carried on within the grounds of police stations, not on the streets. There was no resistance whatsoever by the victims; it was all perpetrated by police officers.

Can you give me an example or two?

In all I attended to 64 victims from that group. The ones that come to mind – there's four, starting with Morgan Tsvangirai who is the leader of the MDC [Movement for Democratic Change]. Then there is Lovemore Madhuku, the leader of the National Constitutional Assembly, and Sekai Holland, who is also with the MDC and Grace Kwinje.

These four suffered more severe injuries than the rest of the group. Starting with Morgan Tsvangirai – he had a 15-centimeter laceration on the scalp which I presume, because of its largeness, means he must have bled profusely in police custody. He passed out. It is possible that he might have had a concussion. He also had fractures in the left hand as well as bruises all over the body, especially in the back.

Lovemore Madhuku was also bleeding from a laceration on the head. Then he also had a fracture of the right forearm. Sekai Holland and Grace Kwinje, the two ladies, received quite severe beatings with Sekai Holland getting bruised from the shoulders down to the upper part of the thighs. It was a continuous area of bruising without any breaks, which means she must have been beaten on the back several times with a blunt object. She also had fractures of the left forearm and left leg. Grace Kwinje had severe bruising on the whole body, but particularly on the back. She suffered quite a bit of head trauma.

What is their condition right now?

As I speak, Morgan Tsvangirai and Lovemore Madhuku have been discharged and I think they have done remarkably well. The two ladies, unfortunately, have not done so well. They need further treatment but when they tried to go to South Africa for further treatment, they were blocked at the airport for some flimsy reason. You know, one wonders why they were blocked. They were not fugitives from justice. They were just going there for treatment.

Grace Kwinje is reliving the torture that she suffered. She sees people threatening to attack her, she gets nightmares, she is very unstable right now. When they were brought back from the airport, they were put in a hospital ward guarded by two police officers who were heavily armed with assault weapons, weapons for use in the bush. That was further torture when you are already injured and people with big guns sitting next to you.

So there is a mental effect here as well as a physical effect?

Yes.

At least on the two women.

That's right. They have been fortunately flown to South Africa after a court battle, so one hopes that they will continue to improve.

Is this unique, or does this kind of mental stress exist in other people who have been brutalized by authorities?

It is not unique. Anybody who goes through that kind of treatment you can expect them to have some mental stress or mental problem. In Grace's case, it has become more profound than in other cases that we have seen before. It is not unique to this exercise.

Tell me something about how you or the organization functions in this context. It is hard to imagine here in Washington, DC.

That question has come from many people, including my own colleagues who wonder why we have to do this in a tense environment. At the end of the day, I ask myself and ask my conscience to guide me, and this is what is guiding the rest of the members of the association.

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