Police investigating claims of assault by soldiers

Zimbabwean authorities are investigating claims by the opposition that a group of soldiers attacked their officials at the weekend, a police spokesman told IRIN. According to Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) spokesman Paul Themba Nyathi, the officials were at a rural business centre in Manicaland in eastern Zimbabwe - traditionally MDC territory - when soldiers disembarked from two army trucks and started assaulting them. Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena said the authorities were "still verifying the incident", and added that not only supporters from the MDC but also the ruling ZANU-PF had been victims of assault in other incidents reported across the country, but he was unable to provide details on Wednesday. Among the MDC officials allegedly attacked were three candidates standing in the 2005 general elections - Pishai Muchauraya, Edwin Maupa and Gabriel Chiwara. Themba Nyathi claimed the soldiers had assaulted Chiwara and his election agent, Josphat Munhumumwe, and accused them of "selling the country to the British". "Chiwara and Munhumumwe sustained injuries all over their bodies as they were kicked and beaten with booted feet and fists," Nyathi said, noting that his party was "seriously concerned", as only last week members of the army allegedly assaulted and injured several MDC members in Nyanga, also in Manicaland. Meanwhile, four Zimbabwean journalists who were reportedly threatened with arrest during police raids have fled the country. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has written a letter to President Robert Mugabe expressing its "outrage" at the government's alleged "harassment" and "intimidation" of the journalists. Last week, the CPJ said, police repeatedly searched the office shared by Angus Shaw, a freelancer who contributes to The Associated Press, Jaan Raath, who contributes to the Times of London, and Brian Latham, who contributes to the Bloomberg news agency. The police were also investigating espionage allegations against Cornelius Nduna, a freelance television producer, who has since also left the country. Bvudzijena confirmed that the police was investigating the journalists.