The police force must exercise restraint when policing demonstrations especially against women and avoid the bad repetition of death and injuries caused by their extremely heavy-handed response to peaceful legal demonstrations.

Since July 2018 Police have on several occasions used used live ammunition, rubber bullets, and tear gas against largely peaceful protesters who did not threaten public life.

Human rights organisations in Zimbabwe, regionally and internationally have documented numerous instances of excessive use of force by police on women, rape and at some point women loosing their lives.

What pains most is the fact that the majority of these women are innocent mothers who will be doing their daily vending jobs to try and feed their children.

It is essential that both the Zimbawean law and international human rights law is respected. Police have a duty to maintain public order, and in doing so they must be protecting the peaceful demostrators.

Excessive force and tear gas were yesterday used against innocent women, protesters and journalists.

Testimonies from victims, eyewitnesses and video footages reviewed by Journalists show that police improperly tear gassed peaceful demonstrators and beat women vendors.

In pictures being circulated one woman is seeing battling for her life unconscious in one of Harare streets. This is so painful and such brutality must stop.

One clear fact is that the thousands of people who had gathered in harare were very peaceful as they did not destroy property or retaliated to the attacks by riot police

In conclusion I wish citizens who were injured and hurt by police in Harare yesterday a quick healing and recovery.

Issued by

Lynette Karenyi
MDC Vice-President