Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has said 16 members of the opposition MDC Alliance who were arrested Sunday at a rally to celebrate the party’s 22nd anniversary have been released.
The activists were arrested in Mabuvku while the police also blocked the rally.
MDC Alliance described the move as “effectively banning the opposition” by the regime.
ZLHR who assisted the MDC Alliance activists issued the following update on the case:
Case alert The Forum attended to 16 @mdczimbabwe supporters who were arrested and detained in Mabvuku while holding an executive party meeting. On arrest, about 30 @PoliceZimbabwe officers confiscated a cellphone and two microphones belonging to the arrested persons.
The arrested persons were released from Mabvuku Police Station. However, the confiscated items were not recovered. The officer in charge claimed that no items were confiscated.
Some criticised the police for the selective application of the law since the governing ZANU PF has been holding rallies across the country.
Some analysts expressed concern over the incident saying that it shows that the political landscape was uneven when the country is gearing for the 2023 elections.