Police in Tsholotsho on Monday mounted a roadblock to specifically arrest two Zimbabwe Human Rights Association employees (ZimRights), its director said on Tuesday.
Okay Machisa told SW Radio Africa that police prevented regional coordinator Florence Ndlovu, and paralegal officer Walter Dube, from conducting a torture workshop despite the two having a court order allowing them to do so. The workshop was organised to give villagers information about torture and its effect, as so many Zimbabweans have suffered from this cruel abuse of human rights.
They were in Tsholotsho legally because a magistrate granted us permission on the 20th May to hold the workshop. Initially we notified the police on the 17th of our intentions but they blocked us and we ended up seeking the services of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights who applied for a court order for us to have the workshop, Machisa said.
The director said when the police barred Ndlovu and Dube from addressing villagers at Tshino business centre, they told the duo to leave the area. The ZimRights officials complied and proceeded to drive back to Bulawayo, but a few kilometres from Tshino they came across the roadblock.
That roadblock was specifically mounted to arrest them and they were taken to Nyamandlovu police. But they did not break any law and weve not heard from them since yesterday (Monday). Attempts by our lawyers to have access to the two have been in vain as the police are misleading us as to their whereabouts, Machisa added.
Police at Nyamandlovu are denying that they are holding Ndlovu and Dube while ZimRights contend that is where they are being held. The vehicle that the two were using is still parked at Nyamandlovu police station. Tomorrow (Wednesday) is a holiday and we strongly believe the police just want to punish them for nothing. They want to keep them for 48 hours before releasing them and weve seen this being done to other activists, Machisa said.
The ZimRights director claimed police were in breach of the countrys laws when they arrested their employees. He said there are statutes in the constitution that guarantee freedom of assembly and expression, particularly when you notify the authorities in advance.
We are calling on the inclusive government to ensure that all individuals are allowed to express their views freely and openly without fear of arrest, violence, or other forms of intimidation. We also call on the authorities to issue clear instructions to the police that they should not use force to respond to peaceful protests, and to bring justice to those found responsible for carrying out or ordering such abuses, Machisa said. The arrest of these human rights officials is the latest in a series of arrests of civil society activists, lawyers, journalists and legislators from the MDC-T.
Post published in: Politics