Two year old is beaten and is now political detainee

A two year old baby boy has been held in prison with his mother for two
months and allegedly beaten by state security agents who also kidnapped his
parents over an alleged plot to overthrow the Mugabe regime.

Nigel Mutemagawu disappeared with his mother Violet Mupfuranhehwe and father
Collen Mutemagawo, plus at least 13 other MDC activists, who were all
abducted from their homes in Banket, Mashonaland West in October.

Despite police denials of involvement, lawyers found the abductees scattered
around Harare in different police stations last Tuesday. The activists
appeared in court the next day, accused of plotting to overthrow the Mugabe
regime.

On Tuesday one of the lawyers representing the political detainees,
including civic leader Jestina Mukoko, confirmed that his clients had been
beaten, including the two year old baby.

Lawyer Alex Muchadehama told SW Radio Africa that Mukoko and the mother of
the baby said they had been assaulted by the people who abducted them.
Although it is still not clear exactly who carried out the abductions, it is
believed it was the CIO.
In papers filed to the High Court Mukoko, who is the Director of the
Zimbabwe Peace Project, said she had been blindfolded so that she couldn't
identify the places she was taken to and spent 19 days without knowing where
she was.

The former broadcaster reportedly said: "I was asked to raise my feet on a
table and the other people in the room started to assault me ... and that
lasted at least five minutes. They took a break and then continued with the
beatings after a few hours. They were all visibly drunk and some had bottles
of liquor."
Meanwhile the lawyers successfully got a court order from Magistrate Mishrod
Guvamombe to allow medical doctors to treat the political and civic
activists who are being detained at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison.

Muchadehama said the legal paperwork was issued on Tuesday and the doctors
were expected to attend to the detainees the same day. During their
detention the victims had not been taken to a hospital or been seen by a
prison doctor to ascertain what injuries they have sustained.

Muchadehama said it is difficult to get the figures of the exact number of
political detainees, as lawyers were still being denied proper access to
them, especially the male prisoners. He said so far at least 35 individuals
are confirmed to be in custody although it is believed there could be more,
as they are scattered around police stations.

The individuals are accused of recruiting or trying to recruit people to
undergo military training to overthrow the Mugabe regime. They are still
being held despite High Court Judge Justice Yunus Omerjee, ordering their
release on Christmas Eve and declaring the detention of nine individuals,
including Mukoko, illegal. The two-year-old boy was present in court but not
charged. The matter on whether they should be remanded out of custody is
expected to be heard on Wednesday.