Human rights lawyer Kennedy Masiye who was assaulted by police last November, while representing missing activist Itai Dzamara, who had been arrested for protesting, said he is concerned by his former client’s continued disappearance.
Masiye and Dzamara, who was also severely beaten, spent two days in hospital following the assault to treat injuries that ranged from a broken arm to suspected internal injuries.
The human rights lawyer said he came to fully appreciate Dzamara’s push for social justice, while representing him. He said police have to be more diligent in finding the Occupy Africa Square activist, as mandated by the high court. Dzamara was allegedly kidnapped by unknown assailants, four months, from a barber shop in Harare.
The government has denied any role in Dzamara’s disappearance.
Masiye, who works for the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, is currently at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, with the 2015 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. He is one of 30-Zimbabweans selected for the fellowship this year.