A Harare Magistrate has granted bail to six MDC Alliance leaders who were arrested in Harare yesterday and were charged with public nuisance.
The six include MDC-A vice presidents Tendai Biti, Lynette Karenyi, Lovemore Chinoputsa (National Executive member), Senator David Chimhini, Gladys Hlatswayo (secretary for International relations) and Wongai Tome.
They were represented by Beatrice Mtetwa and Alec Muchadehama from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR). Mtetwa raised concerns over the conditions that her clients were subjected to during detention.
“They have been granted ZWL$1000 bail each and were ordered to reside at their given addresses and not to interfere with state witnesses. However, we raised concerns over the Covid-19 regulations with the manner they were handled during their detention they were not given sanitisers, face masks and were forced to walk without shoes on a dirty floor” said Mtetwa
The MDC-Alliance members were arrested as they sought police help to clear members of a rival faction led by Thokozani Khupe who had occupied the party’s headquarters. Police blocked them and they broke into song leading to their arrest.
