Zimbabwe police arrest opposition leader, dozens of others

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Zimbabwe police arrest opposition leader, dozens of others

7:00 CAT | 18 Jun 2024

Police raided Jameson Timba's Avondale residence on Sunday [Image: The Zimbabwe Mail]

Zimbabwean police have arrested and charged opposition leader Jameson Timba and more than 70 other people with disorderly conduct over a private meeting held at the weekend, his lawyer said Monday.

Timba, who took over the interim leadership of the official opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) following the resignation of Nelson Chamisa in January, was arrested alongside his son.

“They have been charged with disorderly conduct and participating in an unlawful gathering and they will be appearing in court tomorrow,” Timba’s lawyer Agency Gumbo told AFP.

“The police allege they threw stones at them and their meeting was not authorised,” he said.

According to Gumbo, the group is being held at two different police stations in the capital, Harare.

He also said on X, formerly Twitter, that some of the arrested people required medical attention.

The group was arrested at a private residence in Harare’s Avondale suburb, he added.

This is footage of the bizarre arrest of Sen Timba and a number of our young leaders arrested at Timba’s private residence in Avondale. Why they are being forced to crawl on their knees, no one knows. Talk of the right to human dignity! They are presently in police detention and… pic.twitter.com/lwRe2ugdIb

— Agency Gumbo (@agencygumbo) June 16, 2024

Last year, Zimbabwe’s opposition faced a wave of arrests after the country’s disputed August 23 elections.

Critics have long accused ZANU-PF — in power since independence in 1980 — of using the courts to target opposition politicians and silence dissent.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, 81, won a second term with 52.6 percent against Chamisa’s 44 percent, according to the official results.

The CCC condemned the outcome as flawed and demanded a fresh vote.
Regional and international observers have also criticised the ballot over numerous irregularities.

“We demand the immediate release of our champions. They violated no law. Their arrest is a human rights issue!” Gumbo said on X.

Take note that the meeting for which they were arrested was at a ‘private residence’ and not a public place. Also the meeting was a private one and not a public gathering. The allegations are a violation of fundamental human and political rights. This is a case of political…

— Agency Gumbo (@agencygumbo) June 17, 2024

#TimbaAndOthersToAppearInCourt #ArrestedAndBeatenUPOverBraai
Former MDC-T Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Deputy Information minister and MP – now CCC official – Jameson Timba and 78 others, including his son, will appear in court this morning on charges… pic.twitter.com/f1TxlPjcdW

— TheNewsHawks (@NewsHawksLive) June 18, 2024

CCC interim leader, Jameson Timba and 78 others set to appear in court tomorrow over unsanctioned gathering pic.twitter.com/kvCPtMEsoj

— TechMagTv (@TechMagZW) June 17, 2024

Source: AFP