Opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) says three elderly people and a minor girl are among the 25 party activists arrested in Budiriro over the weekend.
Anti–riot police stormed legislator Costa Machingauta’s Budiriro home on Saturday and arrested party organising secretary and Mkoba legislator Amos Chibaya together with 24 opposition activists who were holding an internal meeting.
Addressing journalists at Harare Magistrates Court during their bail hearing yesterday, CCC national spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere accused police officers of sexually harassing part of the women who were arrested.
“A number of concerning were raised by the lawyers including the fact that a minor child was part of the arrested 25 and the fact that the police officers were manhandling the women and they were complaints about inappropriate sexual harassment of the police officers who were alleged to be drunk and sprinkling alcohol on the accused persons.
“What this demonstrates beyond any doubts is that there is nothing legal about this arrest. It was an arrest calculated to politically persecute our members. We all know this was an internal meeting to which maintenance of peace and order act simply does not apply. It was not open to members of the public and yet you see four police Lorries storming the home of a private citizen, that’s simply unconstitutional, that’s going to which the remand and bail application are opposed,” said Mahere
She said despite all the persecutions the party remains determined and called on the police to act in a professional manner.
“We want to emphasize that as CCC we are continuing to see of political violence by Zanu PF, we saw what happened in Murewa last week, we are seeing what happened in Budiriro today, and there were also complaints about what happened in Mbare. We also saw what happened in Insiza and Matobo all across the country Chirumhanzu, Gutu, Mberengwa in fact every province in the country we are seeing these escalated incidence of violence.
“We have said we want elections, we don’t want war and this does not board well for a free and fair election and we continue to call upon the police service to act in a constitutional and professional manner there is no way you can arrest for example three elderly persons. What can be gained from treating citizens this way but what we know is that Zanu PF’s backs are against the wall whenever they are losing popular support they react using violence but we remained determined,” she said.
The CCC members are facing charges of holding an unsanctioned meeting in Budiriro on Saturday and were remanded in custody to today for their bail hearing.
They appeared before Harare magistrate Yeukai Dzuda and are represented by Wilbert Mandinde and Chris Mhike.
One of the accused persons, a 17-year-old, was released under the guardianship of her uncle.
