white mayor in Zimbabwe, were arrested together with 15 other MDC officials.
Nelson Chamisa, who is spokesman of the main wing of the MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai, said the party was battling to get its activists released from jail. He said: “We are running around trying to get lawyers to get them released. The police are charging them with holding a meeting without authority but we believe it is purely harassment as the regime is panicking as we mobilise the party rank and file in preparation for mass action.”
Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena said he was unaware of the arrest of the opposition officials and was therefore unable to comment on the matter.
Under the government’s draconian Public Order and Security Act, Zimbabweans are banned from meeting in public in groups of three or more to discuss politics without permission from the police. The MDC accuses the police of using the law selectively to prevent the opposition party from meeting Zimbabweans to market its programmes and
policies. The police, who have used the security Act to ban several MDC rallies but have never banned meetings by President Robert Mugabe’s ruling Zanu (PF) party, deny using the law to cripple the opposition. – ZimOnline
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