NYDT condemns harassment of its members by police

The National Youth Development Trust (NYDT) would like to register its concerns over the continued police intimidation of civic society members generally and of NYDT members particularly. Police Officers are reportedly visiting NYDT members in the pretext that they are searching for evidence of voter registration material despite them not producing authentic search warrants for this purpose. The reported incidents have occurred in Bulawayo and Lupane.

In cases where the youths have allowed the police officers to carry out searches, they have found nothing concrete to substantiate their claims. NYDT is concerned that these unwarranted acts of intimidation on its members, come at a time when the country is heading towards the Referendum and General Elections, and this may only serve to lessen youth participation in these important national process.

These moves are also limiting the intentions and gains made so far by civic society organisations and even Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to lure young people to actively and effectively participate in national processes. These actions are not only reflecting a lack of sincerity by some sectors of the security forces to protect Zimbabweans but also that there is little or no sincerity in attempts to create a free and fair environment for elections to be carried out in.

NYDT therefore condemns such arbitrary and illicit searches and therefore calls on the Ministry of Home Affairs to intervene and call the police to order, over such unwarranted searches and general harassment of youths seeking to exercise their rights as citizens of Zimbabwe.