Zimbabwe has blocked Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp messaging app amid a crackdown on days of violent protests.
A coalition of local human rights groups says at least 12 people have been killed and many more beaten and tortured by security forces this week.
The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum accused the authorities of cutting off the internet “to mask the massive human rights violations”.
The protests were sparked on Monday by a sharp rise in the price of fuel.
The government has blamed the opposition and political rights groups for the protests, which has seen riot police clashing with protesters in the capital, Harare, and the southern city of Bulawayo after they lit fires and blocked roads using rocks.
There has been looting and some businesses and schools in the two cities have been forced to close. Soldiers are guarding petrol stations, where there are still long queues of motorists looking for petrol.
The UN has called on the government to halt the “excessive use of force” by security forces including firing live ammunition, and allegations of night-time…
