Attorney: 80 youths and an opposition leader are detained by Zimbabwean police

Jameson Timba, the leader of the opposition, and eighty young people were detained by Zimbabwean police on Monday, according to their attorney, for organizing a political meeting that was not allowed.

After Nelson Chamisa resigned from the Citizens Coalition for Change in January, claiming the party had been taken over by the ruling ZANU-PF party, Timba assumed leadership of the group in an acting capacity.

On Sunday, the arrests were made.

“We are working toward their release, but they are still under arrest. They will probably be held accountable for upholding public order rules, Reuters was informed by attorney Agency Gumbo.

Promise Mkwananzi, a spokesman for the CCC party, described the arrests as “regrettable” and indicative of “democratic regression.”

Comment from the police was not immediately available.
Political parties are required by law to request police approval before hosting a public event. Political gatherings have been outlawed and the opposition has been suppressed in the past thanks to legal provisions.