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ZIMBABWE-ECONOMY-EU
EU slams ‘disproportionate’ use of force in Zimbabwe
BRUSSELS, Jan 18, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The EU on Thursday decried the
disproportionate use of force by Zimbabwe authorities during protests in
which doctors say 68 people suffered gunshot wounds.
“The escalation of violence in Zimbabwe over recent days has been
aggravated by the disproportionate use of force by security personnel,”
European Commission spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said in a statement.
“We expect the Government of Zimbabwe to uphold human rights and the rule
of law, as enshrined in the constitution, and ensure due legal process for
those detained,” the statement added.
The EU also asked that the government “conduct a thorough investigation
into the deaths and abuses over the last days.”
Nationwide demonstrations erupted on Monday after President Emmerson
Mnangagwa announced that fuel prices were being doubled in a country
suffering regular shortages of fuel, food and medicine.
Mnangagwa, who succeeded ousted authoritarian president Robert Mugabe in
2017, had promised a fresh start for Zimbabwe after decades of repression and
economic decline.
Brussels acknowledged that the Harare government had chosen the path of
economic reforms, but said these could only be achieved through “inclusive
national dialogue” that included “freedom of assembly, association and
expression”.
“Zimbabwe’s efforts to promote investment and to deepen international
partnerships can only be successful if these essential requirements are
fulfilled,” the EU said.
Trade unions had called the national strike on Monday and the
demonstrations took place in several cities with widespread rioting and
looting.
Security forces have since arrested about 600 suspects, including leading
trade unionists and opposition figures, in a crackdown also decried by rights
groups.
Police and soldiers have been accused of indiscriminately dragging people
from their homes in Harare and beating them.
BSS/AFP/HR/1000