Zimbabwean Police Briefly Detain Opposition Politicians

Two Zimbabwean opposition politicians were briefly detained Tuesday at the country’s main airport on yet unclear charges and released afterwards.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said in a statement that Jameson Timba, its House of Assembly candidate for Mount Pleasant constituency in the capital, Harare, was picked up by police around 7am at the Harare International Airport and taken to Harare Central Police Station where they were interrogated for eight hours.

Their lawyer, Innocent Changonda, told APA in an interview that the opposition officials were released around 3pm without any charges being preferred against the two.

“They have not been charged for any crime and were released well in the afternoon,” said Chagonda.

It is alleged that Timba and his chief election agent, Garikai Chuma, were asked to explain their presence at the airport before being picked up by police officers from the Law and Order section.

The MDC has said the arrests and harassment of its members on trumped up charges were signs that the ruling party, ZANU PF, was panicking ahead of general elections to be held on 29 March.

Source African Press Agency

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