‘Custodians of the law’ march in Harare

Dozens of Zimbabwean lawyers took to the streets on Friday to protest against police brutality that has escalated since President Emmerson Mnangagwa came to power in 2017. Wearing black court robes and bandages smeared with tomato sauce, they carried placards that read ‘stop state sanctioned violence’ and ‘no to police brutality’. A report on the News24 site notes that they marched from the High Court in the capital Harare to the Ministry of Home Affairs, where they handed over a petition ‘not only as concerned citizens but as concerned officers of the court and custodians of the law’. ‘We have seen protests being banned even after the conveners tried to follow the procedures of the law,’ said lawyer Roselyn Hanzi.