MDC Alliance youth assembly president Tererai Obey Sithole was on Monday arrested while leaving the Harare Magistrates Court.
Sithole was arrested in the morning after he appeared in court where he was answering charges of holding an illegal demonstration in Warren Park last year.
According to the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), Sithole is now facing criminal nuisance charges. Police said that Sithole committed the offence on 1 April.
Sithole had just left court where he was further remanded on a separate charge of allegedly holding an illegal demonstration in Warren Park in May last year.
In that case, he is jointly charged with Harare West MP Joana Mamombe and activists Netsai Marova, Cecilia Chimbiri, Lovejoy Chitengu and Stanley Manyenga. Sithole tweeted:
I have just been arrested on my way out of court. I’m yet to be advised of my charge. I remain unshaken, till freedom!
The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) condemned the arrest of Sithole describing it as persecution of dissenting voices. It said in a statement:
The arrest of Tererai Sithole and Alan Moyo is just another example of the continued persecution of dissenting voices.
This is happening as Joana Mamombe and other political and civil rights activists are facing persecution.
We implore the government to ensure the principle of separation of power is restored as this has a bearing on public confidence in the law enforcement and judiciary systems.
We urge the police and the courts to always be guided by the Constitution in how they apply themselves.
As ZPP, we believe that the judiciary plays a critical role in ensuring a fair, objective and impartial society, where all citizens are equal.
Authorities say Sihole is charged with criminal nuisance after he allegedly sprayed graffiti at the New Government Complex in Harare on April 1 while demonstrating with other political activists.
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