ZCTU slams police thuggish behaviour

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has slammed police brutality after the members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police beat up demonstrators and a lawyer representing them in Harare on Thursday.

A lawyer with the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) Kennedy Masiye was assaulted at Africa Unity Square in central Harare while attempting to represent his clients, Itai Dzamara and other protesters, who were being subjected to assault for staging a peaceful sit-in.

In a statement ZCTU said the police must "not act like thugs", condemning "in strongest terms such hooliganism by the police force" to defend.

It said Zimbabweans are entitled to peaceful demonstrations and the action of the police shows that it has failed to reform and "we are still in the dark ages as before the new Constitution where police officers acted with impunity," ZCTU said.