The jailed opposition leader and 64 supporters in Zimbabwe were denied bail for the third time on Monday since their arrest 14 weeks ago, which had sparked widespread condemnation.
Jameson Timba, the leader of the main opposition Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC), and others were arrested at his residence on June 16 as part of what rights groups described as a crackdown before a southern African summit in July.
Although they were cleared of a charge of disorderly conduct on September 4, they still face an accusation of participating in an unlawful gathering.
The magistrate, in denying bail on Monday, stated that no new circumstances would justify their release from pre-trial detention.
Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF party, which has been in power since 1980, has long been accused by critics of suppressing both democracy and dissent.
Timba and nearly 80 others were arrested before the July 17 summit in Harare of the 16-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC), during which Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa assumed a one-year term as chairman.
According to rights groups like Amnesty International, about 160 opposition supporters and human rights defenders were arrested before the summit, and some have been released since then.
On September 4, twelve of those arrested with Timba were acquitted of all charges.
The CCC is the primary opposition to Mnangagwa’s ZANU-PF, which has held power since 1980.