Authorities in Zimbabwe detained opposition politicians and demonstrators and refused to grant bail to three activists on Friday, in what human rights organisations described as a worsening crackdown just before a regional summit.
Security was heavily enforced in Harare as the heads of the 16-country Southern African Development Community (SADC) arrived for their summit on Saturday. During this summit, President Emmerson Mnangagwa is set to assume the chairmanship of the regional alliance.
According to Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) on X, two politicians from the main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) were arrested separately.
Since mid-June, around 160 opposition politicians and activists have been detained, as reported by rights groups, including Amnesty International.
In addition, as ZLHR and the Zimbabwe Human Rights Monitors Platform stated, approximately a dozen individuals from a village in the central Midlands province were arrested for allegedly participating in an anti-government protest.
On Friday, three prominent activists who were detained after being forcibly removed from a plane at the country’s main airport on July 31 were denied bail by a magistrate. They were charged with disorderly conduct for participating in a protest calling for the release of opposition leader Jameson Timba and 78 other activists who were arrested on June 16.
The magistrate refused bail for human rights activist Namatai Kwekweza, teachers’ union leader Robson Chere, and former Harare municipal councillor Samuel Gwenzi, expressing concern that they might flee.
UN experts appointed on Thursday urged Zimbabwe to free the three individuals, stating that they were subjected to torture while in custody, including waterboarding.
According to Amnesty International, Zimbabwe security forces have unlawfully detained over 160 activists since mid-June to silence dissenting voices and discourage potential protests.