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Abducted Itai Dzamara's Relatives Petiton Mugabe, Parly Over His Disappearance


FILE: Part of the crowd that attended the Itai Dzamara prayer rally in Harare recently. (Photo: Courtesy Occupy Africa Unity Square)
FILE: Part of the crowd that attended the Itai Dzamara prayer rally in Harare recently. (Photo: Courtesy Occupy Africa Unity Square)

The family of missing human rights activist Itai Dzamara on Monday handed a petition to President Robert Mugabe and Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda complaining about the government’s less-than-satisfactory efforts to look for the missing activist.

Itai’s wife, Sheffra, and brother Patson Dzamara delivered the petition at Mr. Mugabe’s Munhumutapa offices and parliament.

In the petition, Patson told VOA Studio 7 he is “concerned and disturbed by the stance assumed by Mr. Mugabe as the head of state on the Dzamara issue.”

He went on to say “to date, you as head of state and your government at large, have done little to assist us as a family to at least come to a place of closure.”

Dzamara added that although Itai openly opposed Mr. Mugabe’s government, his security and right to life remains “a direct and unquestionable responsibility of your government.”

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Meanwhile, conveners of the Itai Dzamara prayer meetings said they have instructed their lawyers to approach the courts after heavily armed riot police on Saturday disrupted their Zvishavane prayer meeting.

Convener Bishop Ancelimo Magaya said the police told them they could not proceed with the prayer meeting because it had been hijacked by the opposition MDC T.

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Also on Saturday Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is one of the vice presidents and justice minister, told a Zanu PF provincial meeting in Gweru that both the police and the Central Intelligence Organization were all out to try and find out what happened to Dzamara.

The vice president was quoted by the state-controlled and privately-owned media as having appealed to churches and prophets to assist in finding the missing activist.

Dzamara was abducted five months ago by as yet unknown assailants.

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