ABDUCTEES RE-ABDUCTED, THREATENED BY POLICE AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000466 SIPDIS AF/S FOR B. WALCH DRL FOR N. WILETT ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2019 TAGS: ASEC KDEM PGOV PHUM PREL ZI SUBJECT: ABDUCTEES RE-ABDUCTED, THREATENED BY POLICE AND AG'S OFFICE Classified By: Ambassador James D. McGee for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) On June 2, two police officers, including the notorious Superintendent Peter Magwenzi, abducted three MDC leaders--Terry Musona, Lloyd Tarumbwa, and Fanny Tembo--from their homes in Mashonaland West province. The trio was first abducted in October 2008, held incommunicado and tortured by Magwenzi and others until their release in January 2009. Upon their release, police said they had been in "protective custody" and would be used to testify as witnesses against other MDC members who were also abducted. During their captivity, they were coerced and tortured into providing false confessions. On June 4 we spoke with lawyers at Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights who related the details of the second abduction to us. ¶2. (C) Magwenzi and another officer based in Banket drove the three to the Attorney General's (AG) office in Harare where they were joined by prosecutor Florence Ziyambi. (NOTE: Ziyambi is well-known as a vindictive and aggressive prosecutor that has insisted on pursuing a number of political cases, including last year's arrests of Tendai Biti and other MDC officials. END NOTE.) At the AG's office they were served with subpoenas ordering them to testify in the June 8 trial against fellow abductees Fidelis Chiramba, Concilia Chinanzvavana, Emmanuel Chinanzvavana, Pieta Kaseke, Violet Mupfuranhehwe, and Collen Mutemagau who are accused of recruiting armed insurgents. Ziyambi, accompanied by Magwenzi, then gave the three MDC members copies of prepared affidavits that the AG's office had written for them and forced each to rehearse this false testimony. When the trio protested, Magwenzi--who had tortured them during their first abduction--said, "you remember how we got you last time and we'll get you again." They were later dismissed from the AG's office. Their lawyer, Chris Mhike, has filed an urgent application in the High Court protesting that the police and Attorney General's office have threatened the three "witnesses" and that they must, in essence, perjure themselves by testifying false evidence in court. ¶3. (SBU) COMMENT: It appears that Attorney General Johannes Tomana will stop at nothing to continue to seek the prosecution and persecution of ZANU-PF's political opponents. We will be at the trial next week to show our presence and to see just how far the prosecutor and police are willing to go, and whether they do indeed manage to force these three "witnesses" to provide false testimony. END COMMENT. MCGEE