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| East/Subsaharan Africa |
| ZimBobWe: Police beat hospital patients in Harare |
| 2003-06-05 |
| It just keeps spiralling....And this is from the Guardian! Zimbabwean police raided a private Harare hospital yesterday, the third day of a week-long national strike, beating and arresting several patients, according to doctors. Ten police accompanied by youths from the ruling Zanu-PF party stormed into the Avenues Clinic, Harare's largest private hospital, and assaulted many of the 150 people seeking treatment for their injuries sustained in anti-government protests. Police herded several patients into a van. Many of the patients were being treated for gunshot wounds and other injuries received at peaceful public protests against President Robert Mugabe's regime. The police surrounded the hospital and ordered away injured people coming in for treatment, said health workers. Government hospitals have refused to treat anyone suspected of being hurt in the demonstrations. The strike called by Zimbabwe's main opposition kept most banks, businesses and factories shut for a third day despite official threats to punish companies that failed to open. Mr Mugabe defended his government's crackdown on the protesters yesterday. "It is sad when we are forced as (a) government to have to use tear gas against our own youth who are being misled. But we have to do it in the interest of peace. But we don't want to make our people suffer," he told SABC television. No comment necessary |
| Posted by:Frank G |