15 men of God languishing in police custody (24-08-07)

a MP Goodrich Chimbaira was held at Nyamutamba Hotel in Chitungwiza on Saturday.
The group was first picked up by police on Saturday afternoon and released Monday. They were arrested again onWednesday, and were still languishing in custody by Friday afternoon.

Among those who were arrested is Bishop Samuel Pasula, Reverend
Mabhena, Reverend White, Reverend Gordon Chinogurei and Reverend Patrick Tole.
Police alleged the pastors, arrested at the venue of the prayer meeting, had violated a section of the draconian Public and Order ad Security Act, by attending an unsanctioned meeting.

The tough security law requires that a gathering of three or more be cleared by police. But prayer meetings are exempt from such clearance.

The pastors were initially released after paying fines of $40,000 each.
They were surprisingly picked up again on Wednesday during he dead of the night from their homes.
They are all held at Makoni Police Station in the populous dormitory town.

A spokesman of the MDC (Mutambara faction) ,Gabriel Chaibva said the arrest of the pastors was indicative of the continued assault on people’s liberties by the Zanu (PF) regime.

“To even suggest that the pastors should have sought permission to hold a prayer meeting is symptomatic of a government that has become so paranoid that the very idea of an opposition legislator
attending such a meeting sends it in delirium,” Chaibva said. “The citizens of Zimbabwe have the God given right to exercise their religious beliefs , including the political citizenry. It is further disturbing to note that the police are being used to hound people out of their homes at night under unclear circumstances.”

Chaibva said such actions had no place in a democratic society adding police were mandated to behave in a professional manner.