{"id":18733,"date":"2019-09-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-17T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southafricajournal.com\/?guid=b7f31b56755dd73cfa576df80bf1b37b"},"modified":"2019-09-17T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-09-17T00:00:00","slug":"alarm-after-zimbabwe-doctors-leader-is-kidnapped","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southafricajournal.com\/alarm-after-zimbabwe-doctors-leader-is-kidnapped\/","title":{"rendered":"Alarm after Zimbabwe doctors’ leader is kidnapped"},"content":{"rendered":"
HARARE, THE kidnapping of the president of a union representing medical doctors is the latest crackdown by the Zimbabwean government against its critics.<\/p>\n
Unidentified men suspected to be state security operatives abducted Peter Magombeyi, the leader of the Hospital Doctors Association (HDA) on Saturday night, ironically ahead of International Day of Democracy.<\/p>\n
It is marked yearly on September 15.<\/p>\n
Magombeyi’s welfare had not been ascertained at the time of publication.<\/p>\n
His abduction is seen as a ploy by authorities to intimidate disgruntled doctors against staging a protest against poor working conditions.<\/p>\n
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) noted the kidnapping came in the wake of abductions of human rights doctors, who had been tortured and left for dead.<\/p>\n
In all incidents of abductions, police reports have been made, but there have been no tangible updates on investigations, ZLHR decried.<\/p>\n
The lawyers group disclosed 23 people, mostly trade unionists, were currently facing charges of overthrowing the government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.<\/p>\n
Ruling party supporters have reportedly threatened lawyers representing the accused.<\/p>\n
Police allegedly assaulted and arrested lawyer Doug Coltart recently for what fellow lawyers believe is for his work in representing the suspects.<\/p>\n
The escalation in infringements coincides with the death of former president, Robert Mugabe.<\/p>\n
Scores of activists were kidnapped, tortured and others killed during his 37-year stay in power from 1980.<\/p>\n
Among those kidnapped without trace include journalist Itai Dzamara, who was kidnapped in 2015.<\/p>\n
Mugabe was overthrown in a coup. His successor Mnangagwa pledged to uphold human rights but critics accuse him of maintaining his predecessor’s iron-fisted rule.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Source: CAJ News Agency <\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
HARARE, THE kidnapping of the president of a union representing medical doctors is the latest crackdown by the Zimbabwean government against its critics.Unidentified men suspected to be state security operatives abducted Peter Magombeyi, the leader of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n