Current:Home > ScamsZimbabwe’s opposition says the country is going in ‘a dangerous direction’ after activist’s killing-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Zimbabwe’s opposition says the country is going in ‘a dangerous direction’ after activist’s killing
View Date:2024-12-23 21:01:43
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe’s opposition leader warned Wednesday that the country is “heading into a dangerous direction” as his party mourned an official abducted while campaigning for upcoming elections and later found dead.
Tapfumaneyi Masaya, 51, was part of a team of Citizens for Change Coalition activists campaigning Saturday in Harare’s Mabvuku township when he was seized by unidentified people and bundled into a vehicle, said Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, which is giving legal representation to his family.
Masaya’s body was dumped near a park on the outskirts of the capital and taken to a morgue where it was identified by his family and fellow party activists Monday. Police confirmed the body had been identified.
“The callous politically motivated abduction and murder of Tapfumanei Masaya is a tragic and ugly turn of politics in Zimbabwe,” Nelson Chamisa posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The opposition has accused the ruling ZANU-PF party and security agencies of leading the harassment of its activists and Masaya’s death.
A ruling party spokesman, Farai Marapira, accused the opposition of “seeking political mileage from an unfortunate death,” denying his party’s involvement. Police said they are investigating the abduction and killing.
There has been growing international condemnation of deteriorating human rights in Zimbabwe.
The U.S. Embassy said on X it was “alarmed” by Masaya’s case and called for a full investigation.
Amnesty International in a statement called on authorities to “immediately address the escalating cases of abductions, arbitrary detention, torture and killing of parliament members, opposition political activists and human rights defenders.”
Supporters and relatives gathered at Masaya’s home Wednesday to mourn a man they described as peaceful. They sang political songs, beat drums, danced and vowed to fight on despite intimidation.
The killing comes two weeks after an opposition lawmaker, Denford Ngadziore, claimed he was abducted on his way to parliament and tortured before being dumped naked outside Harare.
Several cases have also been reported in recent months following disputed elections marked by arrests, intimidation and violence in August, won by President Emerson Mnangagwa and his ZANU-PF.
Zimbabwe faces by-elections in several constituencies on Dec. 9 after a man claiming to be the secretary-general of the Citizens for Change Coalition sent a letter to parliament speaker Jacob Mudenda saying opposition lawmakers in nine constituencies were being withdrawn.
The opposition accused the ruling party of working with the man it described as an impostor.
Over a dozen more opposition lawmakers were fired Tuesday on the instructions of the man, again requiring fresh elections on a date yet to be announced.
Although ZANU-PF retained its control of parliament, it did not get a two-thirds majority that would give it the votes to change the constitution and possibly allow Mnangagwa, 81, to remain as leader beyond the two-term limit.
Mnangagwa has said this is his last term, though some in his party have called for him to stay on.
veryGood! (16)
Related
- The View's Sara Haines Walks Off After Whoopi Goldberg's NSFW Confession
- African American English, Black ASL are stigmatized. Experts say they deserve recognition
- Matthew Koma gets vasectomy while Hilary Duff is pregnant: 'Better than going to the dentist'
- Lake Minnetonka just misses breaking 100-year record, ice remains after warm winter
- 'Yellowstone's powerful opening: What happened to Kevin Costner's John Dutton?
- Dozens hurt by strong movement on jetliner heading from Australia to New Zealand
- Dog kills baby boy, injures mother at New Jersey home, the latest fatal mauling of 2024
- Girls are falling in love with wrestling, the nation’s fastest-growing high school sport
- Veterans face challenges starting small businesses but there are plenty of resources to help
- No longer afraid, Rockies' Riley Pint opens up about his comeback journey: 'I want to be an inspiration'
Ranking
- Ex-Duke star Kyle Singler draws concern from basketball world over cryptic Instagram post
- Four astronauts from four countries return to Earth after six months in orbit
- African American English, Black ASL are stigmatized. Experts say they deserve recognition
- Renewed push for aid for radiation victims of U.S. nuclear program
- Vogue Model Dynus Saxon Charged With Murder After Stabbing Attack
- Eric Carmen, 'All By Myself' singer and frontman of the Raspberries, dies at 74
- See Vanderpump Rules' Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval Face Off in Uncomfortable Preview
- Sister Wives’ Garrison Brown Laid to Rest After His Death
Recommendation
-
Stocks soared on news of Trump's election. Bonds sank. Here's why.
-
What Nick Saban believed in for 50 years 'no longer exist in college athletics'
-
Ryan Gosling's I'm Just Ken Oscars Secrets Revealed: Emma Stone Moment, Marilyn Inspiration and More
-
What is the Ides of March? Here's why it demands caution.
-
Kevin Costner says he hasn't watched John Dutton's fate on 'Yellowstone': 'Swear to God'
-
HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge to leave Biden administration
-
College Student Missing After Getting Kicked Out of Luke Bryan’s Nashville Bar
-
New Heights: Jason and Travis Kelce win iHeartRadio Podcast of the Year award