HUMAN rights group on Wednesday warned they would stage massive protests if security agents are unrelenting in their harassment of civic society leaders.

The groups met at a Harare hotel where they discussed a recent crackdown on government critics.

Speaking under the banner of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, National Constitutional Assembly chairman Lovemore Madhuku said it was time to stand up to police “brutality”.

“We have no reservations for mass protests regarding the abuse of human rights and arrests of activists in the country. What is happening to the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum is unacceptable and we’ll stand against it,” said Madhuku.

The threat to stage mass protests by civic society leaders follows the arrests of officials at the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, including executive director Abel Chikomo.

Chikomo is every week being called for questioning by police and his offices have been raided on more than three occasions.

The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum has been documenting incidents of violence, torture and human rights violations by security agents and war veterans around the country.

Madhuku said: “What is happening at the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum is unacceptable and we will stand against it. If you arrest one of us, you would have arrested all of us.”

Last week, the SADC Troika on Defence and Security came down heavy on President Robert Mugabe, demanding a cessation to violence against opposition groups, arbitrary arrest of opposition ministers and hate speech in the state media.