HARARE -- The life of Zimbabwean diamond rights researcher Farai Maguwu is in danger after police officers tampered with his medication, his lawyer told the High Court on Wednesday.

The lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, told Justice Chinembiri Bhunu during an application for bail for Maguwu that some unidentified police officers changed the medicine that the rights activists was using to cure a sore throat, chest pains and fever, replacing it with new medication of “unknown origins” and without a doctor examining him.

The medication was changed apparently after the police took Maguwu from Harare remand prison to Matapi police station -- a notorious torture centre.

Mtetwa said: “His life is endangered. His medication has been interrupted. When it was resumed it had been substituted with medicine of unknown origins and having not been seen by a doctor it’s not known who prescribed this substitute medicine.”

Bhunu, who postponed the bail hearing to today, ordered the state to allow the rights activist to be examined by a doctor of his choice.

“It is ordered that a doctor of his choice be granted access to the accused person forthrightly,” said Bhunu.

Maguwu, who is the director of the Centre for Research and Development (CRD), was arrested about two weeks ago when he surrendered himself to the police and has since been charged with communicating false statements prejudicial to the state after he allegedly wrote reports detailing alleged human rights abuses at the notorious Chiadzwa or Marange diamond field.

The activist attracted the ire of the government after he gave the visiting Kimberley Process (KP) monitor Abbey Chikane a report detailing human rights abuses by soldiers. 

He also told Chikane that workers from two firms contracted to mine diamonds at Marange in line with KP standards were stealing diamonds for sale to foreign dealers.

Chikane was in Zimbabwe just over two weeks ago on his second visit to assess whether operations at Marange comply with KP standards, a key requirement before the world diamond industry watchdog can certify stones from the Zimbabwean field clean and fit for sale on the international market.

The KP monitor has recommended that Zimbabwe be allowed to sell diamonds from Chiadzwa.

By Zimonline