ZLHR rescuesHarare residents charged over alleged Boutique assault

ZIMBABWE Republic Police (ZRP) officers on Wednesday arrested and harassed six Harare residents whom they accused of
assaulting an unidentified person at a boutique on 28 March 2017.

ZRP officers from Harare Central Police Station under the Operations Department arrested Nomsa Nyamutswa aged 19 years, Lonely Chinyenye
aged 23 years, Melania Mhakayakora aged 23 years, Nyasha Kwenhamo aged 21 years, Anna Gatsi aged 25 years and Clara Kugara aged 44 years on allegations that they were involved in the assault of an unidentified person, which allegedly took place at a She and He Boutique in central Harare on Tuesday 28 March 2017.

The six Harare residents were released upon the intervention of ZLHR lawyers Kuzivakwashe Ngodza and Dorcas Chitiyo, who challenged the
arrest on the basis that their clients were not being charged with anything hence they could not be unjustifiably detained.

Ngodza and Chitiyo argued that in the event that ZRP officers requires more information from the six Harare residents, who had been
incarcerated for purposes of obtaining information on what transpired during the alleged assault, they could subpoena them to Harare Central
Police Station in-order to conduct their investigation.