Zimbabwe's youth militia trained by government
Andrew Meldrum reports on torture and political intimidation by Zimbabwe's youth militia. The gangs are reportedly given "political orientation" and trained in torture techniques at government camps.
Police take virtually no action against the forces, widely known as "green bombers" for the colour of their military-style uniforms and for their reputation for violence. [...] "They were green bombers. I could tell from the uniforms," Mr Gadzirai said. "They started beating us. They suspended us in the air and whipped our backs and our backsides. They beat the soles of our feet. They were organised, very systematic. "And they kept asking us questions. Who did we work for? Who was paying us? Who were we spying for?" Mr Gadzirai added: "They seized our cell phones and when they found the numbers of lawyers and [Harare's] Mayor Elias Mudzuri, they said that proved we were spies." [...] When they reported the incident to the police, they were arrested. No action has been taken against their attackers. Thirty similar reports in Kuwadzana were documented by the Human Rights Forum in January. - Guardian, Living in fear of Mugabe's green bombers: Poll triggers series of attacks by Zimbabwe's youth militia.