News / National
Abduction victims hostile, says Oppah Muchinguri
01 Aug 2021 at 16:08hrs | Views
THE government is failing to complete reported abduction cases perpetrated by suspected state security agents as the victims are unwilling to cooperate or their evidence has been tampered with, Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri has claimed.
In 2019 and 2020, Zimbabwe noticed an increase in the number of cases of political and civic activists being abducted by state security agents across the country.
The state was also accused of not investigating the incidences, arresting or persecuting the suspects, some of them known by the victims.
However, Muchinguri instead blamed the victims for providing the police with tempered accounts of the abductions or unwilling to cooperate with state investigators.
She was addressing students at the Zimbabwe National Defence University last Thursday.
"Efforts to investigate these (alleged Abductions) have proved futile as the evidence either is tempered with or the concerned individuals refuse to cooperate with the investigating officers," said Muchinguri.
She, instead, accused unnamed political opposition parties back by the West of plotting to stage regime change demonstrations in the country.
"Of late, the opposition with the aid of their Western backers have been planning demonstrations as a way of furthering their regime change agenda.
"Therefore, the security forces have an obligation to remain vigilant and nip such security vices in the bud. Western countries are advancing regime change agenda through funding opposition-aligned non-governmental organisations."
Last year, MDC Alliance MP Joanna Mamombe and female youth activists Netsai Marova and Cecilia Chimbiri were allegedly kidnapped by suspected state security agents before they were found a day later dumped in rural Bindura.
They complained the captors abused them while being tortured.
However, the state accused them of fabricating the cases and they were arrested before being detained for weeks in remand prison.
The matter is still before the courts.
In 2019 and 2020, Zimbabwe noticed an increase in the number of cases of political and civic activists being abducted by state security agents across the country.
The state was also accused of not investigating the incidences, arresting or persecuting the suspects, some of them known by the victims.
However, Muchinguri instead blamed the victims for providing the police with tempered accounts of the abductions or unwilling to cooperate with state investigators.
She was addressing students at the Zimbabwe National Defence University last Thursday.
"Efforts to investigate these (alleged Abductions) have proved futile as the evidence either is tempered with or the concerned individuals refuse to cooperate with the investigating officers," said Muchinguri.
"Of late, the opposition with the aid of their Western backers have been planning demonstrations as a way of furthering their regime change agenda.
"Therefore, the security forces have an obligation to remain vigilant and nip such security vices in the bud. Western countries are advancing regime change agenda through funding opposition-aligned non-governmental organisations."
Last year, MDC Alliance MP Joanna Mamombe and female youth activists Netsai Marova and Cecilia Chimbiri were allegedly kidnapped by suspected state security agents before they were found a day later dumped in rural Bindura.
They complained the captors abused them while being tortured.
However, the state accused them of fabricating the cases and they were arrested before being detained for weeks in remand prison.
The matter is still before the courts.
Source - newzimbabwe
