The order was made last Friday at the Harare Magistrates’ Court where the activists were appearing for their routine remand, together with 20 others who are out on bail.

According to the group’s lawyer Charles Kwaramba, one of the detained, Councillor Tungamirai Madzokere of Ward 32, Glen View was last December “severely assaulted” by a prison guard only identified as ‘Dune’. Kwaramba said his client needed urgent prison medical attention but to date nothing has been done.

The MDC-T said in a statement that during the assault, prison guard Dune threw Councillor Madzokere three times against a wall, “exacerbating injuries to his right hand which the police broke during his arrest in May last year.”

“The reason why Councillor Madzokere was battered by Dune was because he was not willing to remove his prison garb and hand it to another inmate on remand for him to attend court. The councillor suffers from a rare skin infection and cannot share his clothing with anyone,” said Kwaramba.

Madzokere and 25 of his co accused were all arrested in May last year following the death of policeman Petros Mutedza last May. Madzokere and six others were all denied bail and have remained in prison ever since.

Also being held is the MDC-T’s Youth Assembly Chairman, Solomon Madzore, who was arrested in October last year and remains locked up at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison. The others in custody are Rebecca Mafikeni, Phenias Nhatarikwa, Lazarus Maengahama, Stanford Maengahama, Yvonne Musarurwa and Stanford Mangwiro.

According to Kwaramba, the two female activists Rebecca Mafikeni and Yvonne Musarurwa are incarcerated in solitary confinement at the men’s section at Chikurubi.

“Since 9 January this year, their tiny cells have raw sewage flowing through and the two are ordered to clean it using bare hands. I don’t know why they are being held at the men’s section of the prison when there is a women’s wing but from what I have heard from the two, the prison officials are claiming that they are facing political charges but we know that their charges are not political but murder,” said Kwaramba.

He said the two were only allowed to go out of their cells for only 20 minutes a day.

“During these 20 minutes they have to do exercises, wash their clothes and bath. They are being treated like hardcore convicted criminals yet they are not, as they are yet to stand trial,” said Kwaramba.

Another activist, Stanford Mangwiro who is at the Harare Remand Prison, has had a toothache since his arrest in May but is failing to get access to medical treatment or to have the tooth removed because the prison authorities are not co-operating.

“Most of the inmates are suffering from various ailments but cannot complain to the prison officials as they see those with serious conditions not being attended to,” said Kwaramba.

After Kwaramba filed the complaints, the magistrate immediately ordered the State to investigate the claims. The matter was postponed to 10 February.

By SW radio