Chihuri urged to resign over human rights violations

The opposition MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai says Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri should resign for what the party claims are gross human rights violations being allegedly committed by the police on innocent civilians protesting against the current harsh economic environment in Zimbabwe.

The call came following the surfacing of photos and videos, some very hard to look at or watch, showing arrested protesters being assaulted by the police while in detention.

In one instance, a woman wails as she is being assaulted by police under her feet. Another protester is forced to carry what looks like a heavy stone on his head amid police laughter.

MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu said the Police Commissioner-General should step down for allowing police to abuse citizens.

"We as the MDC-T, we are saying that the level of police brutality that we recently witnessed after the highly successful stay away that was staged last week is shocking," Gutu said.

He said his party will make sure that Chihuri and other top police officers were brought before parliament to explain the alleged police brutality.

"It is the kind of brutality that is reminiscent actually of the racist Ian Smith colonial regime," Gutu added.