Some of the claimants are demanding as much as US$1 million each from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri and individual policemen that were involved.
Lawyers said the cases of abduction, wrongful arrests and torture by state security agents were being fuelled by the immunity from prosecution that alleged perpetrators of gross human rights abuse continue to enjoy in the country.
This, they said, was being worsened by the fact that of late, police torture and arrest suspects before carrying out investigations.
Some of the officers behave as if they were activists of political parties, they said.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Chihuri himself is a self-declared Zanu PF cadre, and MDC-T as well as human rights activists have demanded his resignation saying he was too compromised to apply the law fairly.
The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, a coalition of 19 non-governmental organisations involved in human rights issues, is handling at least 247 cases of torture, wrongful arrest or abduction by the police.
A total of 19 cases have been won, either in court or through an out of court settlement but are still awaiting payment. The damages claimed range from US$1 000 to US$10 000.
Torture is usually committed upon arrest and or during detention as well as in the instances where the police violently disrupt peaceful protests.
Some of the cases are filed on behalf of the surviving spouses or relatives of the victims who died as a result of the torture.
“The claims include damages for unlawful arrest and detention, pain and suffering, loss of amenities of life, loss and damage to property, loss of support, funeral expenses and contumeliousness,” said one official with the forum.
Some of these claims were awarded in 2005 and are still to be honoured by the police.
