Source: Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
A ZIMBABWEAN court on Monday 07 November 2016 set free seven Zvishavane residents who were arrested on Sunday 06 November 2016 after faulting Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers for illegally arresting and detaining them.
The seven unemployed Zvishavane residents namely Lameck Sateko, Tobias Moyo, Clifford Mudzingwa, Trynos Shava, Tendai Tswana, Patrick Museva and Tapiwa Shava were arrested on Sunday 06 November 2016 at Mike Auto’s grounds in Zvishavane in Midlands province and charged with contravening Section 36 (1) (a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
The seven residents were arrested after ZRP officers defied a court order sanctioning the MDC-T party rally in Zvishavane and disrupted it through firing teargas canisters and dispersing party supporters from the venue of the rally.
Prosecutors claimed that the seven Zvishavane residents were all in attendance at the venue of the MDC-T party rally and Sateko, Moyo, Mudzingwa, Trynos Shava and Tswana were arrested during the commission of the crime, while there were some witnessess who directly saw Museva and Tapiwa Shava burning tyres and blocking roads in the Midlands town.
The prosecutors intended to use the “debris” of a burnt down flea market as exhibit of some property valued at $200, which was allegedly destroyed by the Zvishavane residents during their trial.
But the seven residents were set free on Monday 07 November 2016 after their lawyer, Herbert Tafa of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, filed an application for refusal of remand when they appeared in court arguing that they had not committed any offence for them to be apprehended by ZRP officers in the first place to which a Zvishavane Magistrate granted.
Source: Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights