Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Politics

Zimbabwe court grants bail to 26 opposition party members

FILE PHOTO: Members of the opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) arrive at the Magistrates court after being arrested on charges of unlawful gatherings and inciting violence in Harare, Zimbabwe January 17,2023. REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo

A Zimbabwean court granted bail on Friday to 26 opposition party members who were arrested for holding what authorities said was an unlawful gathering.

The arrest of Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) members, including two Members of Parliament, stoked fears of a crackdown on opposition politicians ahead of a crucial election this year at a yet to be announced date.

"This confirms that the arrest was an abuse of process in the first place," CCC spokeswoman Fadzayi Mahere told journalists outside court. "All this shows that the regime's paranoia has reached fever pitch and they notice that they are staring defeat in the face."

Zimbabwean police on Jan. 14 fired teargas at the CCC party gathering in Harare and arrested its members. The defendants' lawyers argued that the arrests were unlawful as the gathering was at a private space.

Arguing against bail, prosecutors said the party had not sought clearance to hold the meeting. Zimbabwe laws require that political parties apply for approval from police two weeks in advance before holding a gathering.

The arrests came after a wave of politically motivated violence against opposition supporters in rural Zimbabwe, raising fears of repression ahead of this year's presidential election.

CCC, led by the youthful Nelson Chamisa, will battle President Emmerson Mnangagwa's ZANU-PF for the second time at the poll.

The opposition party, born out of the old Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), enjoys massive urban support and is seen as a threat to ZANU-PF's 43-year-old stranglehold on power.

(Reporting by Nyasha Chingono; Editing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo and Peter Graff)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.