On Monday, 25 members of Zimbabwe’s largest opposition party, the Citizens Coalition for Change, were charged with holding an illegal gathering on Saturday, which police dispersed with tear gas.
Amos Chibaya, a parliamentarian who spoke briefly with reporters before entering the court, is one of those detained. He referred to the behaviour as harassment and promised that it would cease. He continued by saying that the Zimbabwean people would be liberated by the fall of the dictator.
Fadzayi Mahere, a spokesperson for the Citizens’ Coalition for Change, or triple C, said that party members had been mistreated by police during the arrests.
She claimed that among those detained was a girl who was under the age of 18, and that some ladies had reported that police had harassed them. She continued by saying there were claims the arresting officers were intoxicated and hurled drinks at individuals. Mahere asserted that police tactics were intended to cause suffering rather than apprehend criminals because the governing ZANU-PF party is afraid of losing the next election.
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General elections in Zimbabwe are scheduled to take place this year; however, the precise date has not yet been made public.
When VOA asked them about the accusations, the ZANU-PF party and the police said they couldn’t say anything because the case was still in court.
Prosecutors Pardon Dziva and Zebediah Bofu have been tasked with looking into the accusations that triple C members made against the police, per Magistrate Yeukai Dzuda.
The 25 opposition members will return to court on Tuesday to request bail, which the state does not support.
