US embassy cable - 02HARARE555

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000555 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/S FOR PDAS BELLAMY 
 
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRASIER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/07 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, KDEM, ZI 
SUBJECT: ELECTION DAILY REPORT: POLICE AND SOLDIERS 
ARREST AND ASSAULT MDC SUPPORTERS IN SEPARATE INCIDENTS 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY POL TDY AARON TARVER, REASON:  1.5 (B) AND 
(D). 
 
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POLICE ARREST AND ASSAULT MDC HARARE SUPPORTERS 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
1.  (C) SHORTLY AFTER NOON ON FEBRUARY 28, POLICE RAIDED 
THE MDC HARARE PROVINCIAL HEADQUARTERS.  PROVINCIAL 
ELECTION COORDINATOR DONALD CHIRUNGA TOLD US THAT A 
LARGE "LUNCH TIME MEETING" WAS CALLED IN THE INDUSTRIAL 
AREAS NEAR COKE CORNER OUTSIDE HARARE, WHERE MDC 
PRESIDENT MORGAN TSVANGIRAI SHOWED UP.  PROVINCIAL 
COORDINATOR DONALD CHIRUNGA TOLD US THAT A POLICE LORRY 
STOPPED MDC SUPPORTERS LEAVING THE MEETING, AND A NUMBER 
OF ZANU-PF MILITIA CAME OUT OF HIDING AND BEGAN BEATING 
THE SUPPORTERS. 
 
2.  (C) THE POLICE LEFT THE SCENE AND TRAVELED TO THE 
MDC HARARE PROVINCIAL HEADQUARTERS, WHERE SUPPORTERS HAD 
RETURNED AND JOINED SOME 500-PLUS SUPPORTERS ENGAGED IN 
POLLING TRAINING.  (NOTE:  CHIRUNGA EXPLAINED THAT 
POLLING TRAINING FOR A NUMBER OF PROVINCES WAS BEING 
CONDUCTED AT HARARE HEADQUARTERS.)  UPON ARRIVAL, MDC 
INFORMATION OFFICER PERCY MAKOMBE EXPLAINED, POLICE 
BEGAN BEATING PEOPLE AT RANDOM.  CHIRUNGA EXPLAINED THAT 
THE MEMBERS WHO HAD ATTENDED THE LUNCH MEETING ATTEMPTED 
TO LOCK THE HEADQUARTERS, BUT POLICE FORCIBLY ENTERED 
THE PREMISES, AND PROMPTLY ARRESTED 31 MDC SUPPORTERS, 
CLAIMING THE GATHERING WAS ILLEGAL UNDER THE PUBLIC 
ORDER AND SECURITY ACT (POSA).  NONE OF THE 31 
SUPPORTERS INCLUDED PROVINCIAL LEADERS, ACCORDING TO 
CHIRUNGA.  MDC SPOKESMAN LEARNMORE JONGWE (IN SOUTH 
AFRICA) TOLD US THAT THOSE ARRESTED WERE TAKEN TO HARARE 
CENTRAL POLICE STATION, BUT MDC HAS BEEN UNABLE TO 
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ASCERTAIN THEIR PRESENT WHEREABOUTS. 
 
3.  (C) MEDIA LIAISON OFFICER FOR THE COMMONWEALTH 
OBSERVER MISSION MWAMBU WANANDEYA TOLD US THAT HE AND 
TWO OTHER COMMONWEALTH OBSERVERS ARRIVED ON THE SCENE 
SHORTLY THEREAFTER, AND NOTICED POLICE IN RIOT GEAR AT 
THE LOCATION.  WANANDEYA EXPLAINED THAT WHILE POLICE 
WERE UNPLEASANT TOWARDS THE OBSERVERS, THEY DID NOT 
ENGAGE IN ANY BEATINGS IN THE OBSERVERS' PRESENCE 
(WANANDEYA WAS QUICK TO CAVEAT THAT THIS NEITHER 
CONFIRMS NOR DENIES THAT BEATINGS OCCURRED BEFORE THE 
TEAM'S ARRIVAL).  THE OBSERVERS INTERVIEWED ONE MAN IN A 
WHEELCHAIR WHO DESCRIBED BEATINGS BY POLICE.  IN 
RESPONSE, THE POLICE ISSUED A STATEMENT CLAIMING THAT 
THEY ENTERED THE PARTY HEADQUARTERS ONLY TO ARREST 
INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ILLEGAL MEETING, 
NOT TO TARGET PARTY LEADERS, AND DENIED THAT ANY 
BEATINGS HAD OCCURRED. 
 
VIOLENCE FLARING IN MARONDERA 
----------------------------- 
 
4.  (C) MEANWHILE IN MARONDERA, EMBASSY TEAM LEARNED 
THAT OVERNIGHT, THE ZDF BEAT PEOPLE, SEVERAL SO SEVERELY 
THAT MANY ARE STILL IN THE HOSPITAL THE MORNING OF MARCH 
1.  TEAM ALSO HAS HEARD REPORTS OF ZANU-PF SUPPORTERS 
STONING VEHICLES HEADED TOWARDS THE MDC RALLY SCHEDULED 
FOR NOON TODAY, WHERE MDC PRESIDENT TSVANGIRAI WAS 
EXPECTED TO SPEAK.  EMBASSY TEAM OBSERVED APPROXIMATELY 
30 POLICE AND ZDF SOLDIERS IN RIOT GEAR OUTSIDE 
MARONDERA.  TEAM LEARNED THAT THE SOLDIERS AND POLICE 
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WERE WAITING FOR TSVANGIRAI.  ULTIMATELY, TEAM LEARNED 
THAT THE RALLY WAS CANCELED, AND THAT MDC SUPPORTERS HAD 
GONE HOUSE TO HOUSE TO INFORM PEOPLE OF THE CANCELLED 
RALLY, DUE TO THE HIGH THREAT OF VIOLENCE IN THE AREA. 
THE TEAM MET SOME MDC YOUTH, BLEEDING FROM ROCKS THROWN 
BY ZANU-PF SUPPORTERS (THOSE YOUTH WERE TAKEN TO THE 
HOSPITAL WITH A POLICE ESCORT).  THE TEAM ALSO NOTICED 
MDC PROPAGANDA MATERIALS BURNING THROUGHOUT THE AREA. 
 
SULLIVAN 
 
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