HARARE – Nine Zimbabwean opposition activists have been abducted from hospital, apparently by state security agents aided by prison officials, their lawyer claimed yesterday.
The opposition members were hospitalised on Saturday for injuries suffered after a police crackdown in the capital Harare last week. “The guys were abducted last night from hospital around 2300 GMT by state security agents,” said Alec Muchadehama, a lawyer for the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).”They were taken from the wards without any hospital discharge cards or anything to say they have been released.”We understand the guys who took them were also accompanied by prison officials.”There was no immediate reaction from the authorities.Several MDC officials and supporters were arrested last week in what police said was a clampdown on fire bombers accused of a series of attacks across the southern African country.The MDC has denied the accusations saying its members, charged with attempted murder over the firebombing of a ruling Zanu-PF office this week, were framed.On Friday, a defiant President Robert Mugabe told supporters that MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai had deserved a recent beating by police.The veteran leader, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, said he had told fellow African leaders at a summit last week that his arch rival had ‘deserved to be assaulted’.Addressing supporters in Shona, Mugabe said of Thursday’s summit of the Southern African Development Community in Tanzania: “Yes, I told them he was beaten but he asked for it.We got full backing, not even one (leader) criticised our actions,” added the president, who on Friday was chosen by his party to stand for another term in office.Mugabe has been widely condemned by the West for the arrests and assaults of Tsvangirai and other MDC members last month as they tried to stage an anti-government rally.Nampa-AFP”The guys were abducted last night from hospital around 2300 GMT by state security agents,” said Alec Muchadehama, a lawyer for the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).”They were taken from the wards without any hospital discharge cards or anything to say they have been released.”We understand the guys who took them were also accompanied by prison officials.”There was no immediate reaction from the authorities.Several MDC officials and supporters were arrested last week in what police said was a clampdown on fire bombers accused of a series of attacks across the southern African country.The MDC has denied the accusations saying its members, charged with attempted murder over the firebombing of a ruling Zanu-PF office this week, were framed.On Friday, a defiant President Robert Mugabe told supporters that MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai had deserved a recent beating by police.The veteran leader, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, said he had told fellow African leaders at a summit last week that his arch rival had ‘deserved to be assaulted’.Addressing supporters in Shona, Mugabe said of Thursday’s summit of the Southern African Development Community in Tanzania: “Yes, I told them he was beaten but he asked for it.We got full backing, not even one (leader) criticised our actions,” added the president, who on Friday was chosen by his party to stand for another term in office.Mugabe has been widely condemned by the West for the arrests and assaults of Tsvangirai and other MDC members last month as they tried to stage an anti-government rally.Nampa-AFP
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