Zimbabwe human rights activist arrested

A top human rights activist has been arrested in Zimbabwe, in what Amnesty International deplored as an attempt to silence government critics.
Abel Chikomo, director of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with failing to properly register his organisation, police said.
"The charges against Abel Chikomo appear to be part of an orchestrated strategy by the Zimbabwean police and other state security organizations to silence critics of their human rights record," said Michelle Kagari, Amnesty's deputy director for Africa said in a statement.
"The charges against him must be dropped immediately."
The arrest was made on the eve of a regional security summit in neighbouring Zambia, where African leaders demanded an end to harassment and intimidation in Zimbabwe, in what was seen as a rebuke to Mugabe.
The charges against Chikomo are the latest in a growing list of human rights activists facing arrest and unlawful detention for their work.
In February, 45 activists including former lawmaker Munyaradzi Gwisai were charged with treason for discussing mass protests in Egypt and Tunisia. Thirty-nine of the activists were later acquitted but the remaining six who were released on bail could face the death penalty if convicted.
In Bulawayo, the leaders of the activist organization Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu, have gone into hiding following threats of arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention.