At least six Zimbabwean activists were abducted and beaten up ahead of today’s planned protest against the government, protest leader Sylvanos Mudzvova has told told AFP news agency.
Patson Dzamara and two others were admitted to hospital after being abducted by unidentified men who dragged them out of their cars, he said.
Mr Mudzvova added that three others were missing:
They were blocked on the road and taken from their cars which were later found burnt. This is the most barbaric thing to do. That’s not the way to stop dissent.”
Zimbabwe’s government has not yet commented on reports that security officials may be behind the abductions.
Opposition groups had called for a protest today against President Robert Mugabe’s 36-year rule, amid a growing economic and financial crisis.