HARARE,– Human rights organizations have criticized the Zimbabwean High Court’s decision on Wednesday to uphold a lower court ruling that denied bail to an opposition party leader and 78 activists arrested last month.
Jameson Timba, who assumed leadership of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) after Nelson Chamisa’s resignation in January, was detained along with party youth members in Harare for holding an unauthorized gathering. They face charges of gathering with intent to promote public violence and were initially denied bail by a Magistrates Court.
Amnesty International has demanded their immediate release, condemning their continued imprisonment as “lengthy” and “baseless.” Khanyo Farise, Amnesty’s deputy regional director for East and Southern Africa, stated, “Their arbitrary, month-long detention is an outrage which must end now.”
Lawyers for the detained activists have alleged police assault, with some detainees sustaining injuries. Despite these allegations, a High Court judge on Wednesday decided not to overturn the lower court’s decision, stating that the activists were not “randomly” assembled on the day of their arrest.
The CCC labeled the court’s decision as “unjust,” highlighting that bail is a constitutional right. “Despite bail being a constitutional right, the regime is blatantly denying innocent citizens this fundamental right,” the CCC said in a statement.
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, a local rights organization providing legal support to the detainees, pledged to continue exploring legal avenues to assert the activists’ right to liberty.
Source: Reuters