Police stormed the Gays and Lesbians’ Association of Zimbabwe (Galz) premises in Harare at around midday on Monday, disrupting business at the organisation.
Sources told NewsDay the police besieged the offices demanding to see Galz staff members at the premises.
When NewsDay visited the premises, officers from the Harare Central Police Station and Milton Park Police Station were milling around despite that the place had been deserted.
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights’ Tonderai Bhatasara was at the scene, but was not aware why over 30 police officers were gathered at the premises.
“It is just a fishing expedition. I don’t think there is a specific crime that they committed. The police have no evidence of any crime committed. I think they want to get information inside the building,” Bhatasara said.
On Sunday, Galz claimed that police had launched a massive manhunt for 44 of its members who were arrested in Harare last week while attending the launch of a report detailing violations of their rights and debate on the new draft constitution.
According to Galz programmes manager for health, Samuel Matsikure the police were in possession of the human rights violations report.
“I do not know what they want from us. They took copies of the violation report when they arrested us a fortnight ago. The police are not clear on what they want from us,” Matsikure said.
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He said at least 14 Galz members had been visited at their homes before the police invaded the premises. Harare provincial police spokesperson Chief Inspector James Sabau, however, said he was not aware of the raid as he was attending the Harare Agricultural Show.
The European Union and the United States last week attacked the targeting of gays and lesbians by the police, saying the harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders, including restrictions on their right to freedom of assembly, was deeply worrying.
President Robert Mugabe has repeatedly labelled gays and lesbians as “worse than pigs and dogs”.
