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Chere, Kwekweza arrested at Robert Mugabe International Airport
01 Aug 2024 at 09:21hrs | Views
Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) Robson Chere of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union (ARTUZ), Namatai Kwekweza, and opposition councillor Samuel Gwenzi have been arrested at Robert Mugabe International Airport.
Chere, the Secretary General of ARTUZ, is known for advocating for improved working conditions and salaries for teachers. Kwekweza, a young HRD and alleged survivor of state-sponsored abduction, and Gwenzi, a Harare City Council Ward 5 councillor elected under the Citizens Coalition for Change, were removed from a plane they had boarded.
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) is concerned about their whereabouts, as they had yet to determine where the three were taken at the time of reporting. This arrest is part of a broader crackdown, with over 70 opposition activists being detained ahead of the August SADC Summit. Critics, including former MP Ostallos Siziba, argue that the arrests are attempts by the regime to suppress dissent and prevent potential protests during the summit.
State security agents have been ordered to detain anyone suspected of organizing demonstrations, despite such activities being constitutionally protected. Among those arrested, a one-year-old baby is living in Harare Central Remand Prison with its mother, who was detained during a raid on senior CCC member Jameson Timba’s home on The Day of the African Child. Petitions are circulating online demanding the release of the mother and baby.
Chere, the Secretary General of ARTUZ, is known for advocating for improved working conditions and salaries for teachers. Kwekweza, a young HRD and alleged survivor of state-sponsored abduction, and Gwenzi, a Harare City Council Ward 5 councillor elected under the Citizens Coalition for Change, were removed from a plane they had boarded.
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) is concerned about their whereabouts, as they had yet to determine where the three were taken at the time of reporting. This arrest is part of a broader crackdown, with over 70 opposition activists being detained ahead of the August SADC Summit. Critics, including former MP Ostallos Siziba, argue that the arrests are attempts by the regime to suppress dissent and prevent potential protests during the summit.
State security agents have been ordered to detain anyone suspected of organizing demonstrations, despite such activities being constitutionally protected. Among those arrested, a one-year-old baby is living in Harare Central Remand Prison with its mother, who was detained during a raid on senior CCC member Jameson Timba’s home on The Day of the African Child. Petitions are circulating online demanding the release of the mother and baby.
Source - NewZimbabwe
