Student’s abduction ordeal revealed

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By Everson Mushava For staging a solo protest against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government, a university student was allegedly abducted, tortured and dumped by four unknown people before being arrested for reporting her ordeal.

By Everson Mushava

For staging a solo protest against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government, a university student was allegedly abducted, tortured and dumped by four unknown people before being arrested for reporting her ordeal.

Panashe Vongai Sivindani (22), a third year National University of Science and Technology electronic engineering student, is out of custody on $2 000 bail after she was charged with incitement to participate in public violence.

The charge emanated from the five hashtag threads, #Free Zimbabwe, #Stop State Capture, #Peaceful Protest, #Stop Police Brutality and #God Bless Zimbabwe inscribed on a placard she was displaying.

Sivindani was abducted by four unknown people in Bulawayo on July 31 between 1pm and 3pm at Ascot shopping centre while staging a solo demonstration.

She was holding the placard, according to her police statement recorded by human rights lobby group, ZimRights.

Sivindani was allegedly tortured and later dumped in the deserted central business district.

She went to Khumalo Police Station to report her abduction.

Instead of getting protection from the police, Sivindani was arrested.

At around 6pm on July 31, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) located her at Khumalo Police Station.

Sivindani said people, who abducted her threatened her saying, “You should not have done what you did, nhasi uchadzidza” while torturing her.

She appeared at the Bulawayo Magistrates Court on August 1 where she was granted $2 000 bail and ordered to report to the police once a week.

ZimRights executive director Dzikamai Bere urged the government to respect and protect citizens’ right to freedom of expression, including the right to demonstrate.

“Citizens cannot ignore the deteriorating socio-economic situation, hence the provision in section 59 of the Zimbabwe constitution states that every person has the right to demonstrate and to present petitions, but these rights must be exercised peacefully,” Bere said.

“This is also in line with various international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”

Bere added: “The government must, therefore, respect its own constitution and international human rights instruments to which Zimbabwe is a signatory.”

MDC Alliance national spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere, author Tsitsi Dangarembga and Disability Amalgamation Community Trust director Henry Chivhanga were some of the people arrested for protesting on July 31 and charged with inciting public violence.