South Africa police chief stands by statement: Officers who killed 34 miners were doing job

From [HERE] South Africa's police chief stands by her statement that officers involved in the shooting deaths of 34 striking miners were just doing their job. Evidence before the judicial commission questioning her Tuesday has indicated some miners were shot in the back as they tried to flee and others were killed when they already were wounded and no threat.

Gen. Riah Phiyega said "I stand by statement," repeating that after a commissioner asked her if she might feel differently given other evidence that has come to light.

Police said they opened fire after striking miners attacked them. No police were hurt in the Aug. 16 incident at the Lonmin platinum mine in Marikana, northwest of Johannesburg, that shocked the nation with its echoes of police brutality under apartheid.

Earlier this month Nine South African police officers pleaded not guilty to charges of killing a man who died after being dragged behind their police van - after police tied him to it.

Witnesses say that some of the 34 striking miners who South African police shot and killed last month were trying to surrender.

The Legal Resource Center (LRC) human rights group told Al Jazeera that several witnesses said police shot and killed protesters who were trying to escape. Some of them were trying to hide behind rocks and some attempted to surrender to authorities. The LRC also said it has forensic evidence that suggests a police cover-up of the killings. 

On August 16, police opened fire on a crowd of miners engaged in a strike at the Lonmin platinum mine in Marikana.Video showed a densely packed crowd of miners, some armed with clubs and machetes, approaching heavily armed police, who claimed self-defence in the shooting.The incident was the climax of an escalating stand-off between rival unions that had already killed 10 people, including two police officers.

Video footage showed a large crowd of miners, some armed with clubs and machetes, advancing towards police lines on August 16. Police claimed they shot the miners out of self-defense. [MORE]