HARARE – Seven Zimbabwean schoolteachers were killed last year while 60 others were harassed and tortured by state security forces, according to a new report released Wednesday.

The reported authored by the Student Solidarity Trust (SST) said 85 student activists were also last year abducted, arrested or assaulted by state security agents.

The SST report, which chronicles gross violation of students and teachers’ rights during political violence last year, indicates that information on the teachers’ deaths was sourced from the Progressive Teachers’ Union (PTUZ).

“The PTUZ recorded the death of seven of its members and the harassment, intimidation and even torture of more than 60 others during the time,” the SST said in the report entitled “State of the education sector in Zimbabwe 2008”.

Education Minister David Coltart was not immediately available for comment on the SST report while it was not possible to get immediate confirmation from the PTUZ on the information attributed to the union.

But the PTUZ, one of two unions that represent teachers in the country, has in the past said several of its members were either brutally assaulted, tortured or killed in political violence, with hundreds of others forced to flee forced schools in rural areas where violence was worst.

Detailing some of the cases of victimisation of students the SST said that on April 17, 2008 students from the National Universality of Science and Technology and Great Zimbabwe University were arrested for protesting over the delayed release of presidential results.”

“Political persecution of teachers and headmasters during the harmonised election period led to the closure of most learning institutions. Between March and June elections 2008, teachers were targeted in a wave of state-sponsored torture and ill treatment directed at perceived supporters of the (then opposition) MDC or because of their affiliation to the PTUZ.

“Teachers in rural areas were affected more with some being abducted, killed, beaten up or having their homes and property destroyed. This led to a great number of teachers fleeing their teaching posts for fear of persecution,” added the 44-page report.

The SST said students’ right were also violated with “partisan” police routinely and arbitrarily arresting and detaining students activists, adding that in many cases activists were held in police custody without trial for more than the 48 hours permitted by law.

Zimbabwe witnessed some of its worst ever political violence during the run up to the June vote that was being held after President Robert Mugabe was defeated by then opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in an earlier vote the previous March. But the opposition leader failed to achieve the margin required to take power and avoid a second round run-off vote.

Tsvangirai pulled out of the June ballot citing state–sponsored attacks against his supporters and in the process, leaving Mugabe to win as sole candidate.

But the election was universally condemned, with African countries that had refrained from criticising Mugabe in the past also denouncing the violence-marred election – a situation that forced Zimbabwean leader to open negotiations to share power with Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, who heads a smaller opposition party. – ZimOnline