ELECTION DAILY REPORT: POLICE AND SOLDIERS

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). CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 00555 020626Z 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 CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 00555 020626Z 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 CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 HARARE 00555 020626Z 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 CONFIDENTIAL >