Zinasu 44 demand trial

Forty-four members of the Zimbabwe National Students Union (Zinasu), who were arrested on July 24 while holding a meeting at the Zesa Training Centre in Harare, are demanding a trial to prove their innocence. They argue that they committed no crime and were forced to pay admission of guilt fines to avoid pre-trial imprisonment and threats from the police.

According to national police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi, police intervened after violence broke out among the activists, leading to property damage. The students' lawyers, from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, have objected to the admission of guilt fines, claiming that the students paid under duress to avoid further detention and harassment.

The lawyers allege that over 40 police officers, led by Inspectors Kamusoni and Mhara, disrupted the meeting, assaulted some individuals, and mishandled property. The students were reportedly detained at Harare Central Police Station, where they were coerced into paying fines to avoid lengthy imprisonment, particularly in light of preparations for the upcoming SADC Summit.

The letter from the lawyers highlighted that the police had used the case of other detainees to justify denying bail and threatened the Zinasu members with similar treatment. The students paid the fines to gain their freedom but now seek to contest the charges and request a formal trial to clear their names.