Zimbabwean police have arrested and charged opposition leader Jameson Timba and more than 70 others with disorderly conduct over a private meeting held at the weekend, his lawyer, Agency Gumbo, said on Monday.
Timba, who took over the interim leadership of the official opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) following the resignation of Nelson Chamisa in January, was arrested alongside his son.
“They have been charged with disorderly conduct and participating in an unlawful gathering, and they will be appearing in court tomorrow,” Gumbo told AFP.
“The police allege they threw stones at them, and their meeting was not authorised,” he said.
According to Gumbo, the group is being held at two different police stations in the capital, Harare.
Confirming the arrests, Paul Nyathi, national spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Republic Police, stated that CCC activists had gathered at Timba’s residence without official permission, prompting law enforcement intervention.
The situation escalated into clashes between activists and police officers as arrests were resisted, resulting in injuries among CCC members. Nyathi emphasised that the arrests were due to the unauthorised nature of the gathering, necessitating additional police deployment to restore order.
Further developments and legal proceedings regarding the incident will unfold in the coming days.
Meanwhile, CCC party spokesperson Promise Mkwananzi said the arrests were “regrettable” and showed “democratic regression”.
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