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Writes Kumbirai Mafunda
Zimbabwean authorities are holding incommunicado about 40 employees of some civil society organisations (CSOs) after seizing them on Wednesday 23 August 2023 in Harare.
The CSO employees drawn from the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) and Election Resource Centre (ERC) were rounded up around 9: p.m. on 23 August 2023 and detained at locations, where their lawyers from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) were not ascertained as they are being denied access to their clients by the Zimbabwe Republic Police
officers.
Fears abound that the more time elapses without their lawyers Alec Muchadehama, Kossam Ncube, and Jeremiah Bamu of ZLHR not having access to their clients, this may turn out to be an enforced disappearance as provisions of section 50 of the Constitution places an obligation of law enforcement agents particularly the Police Service to respect the rights of arrested and detained persons.
Muchadehama, Bamu, and Ncube are concerned that their clients are being illegally detained as law enforcement agents should first conduct investigations and effect any arrests after establishing a reasonable suspicion that an offence has been committed.
The human rights lawyers were also apprehensive that none of their clients have been permitted to contact their legal practitioners, spouse, partner, or relative as provided in section 50(1)(b)(i)(ii) of the Constitution and also for them to be given food, medication, and other amenities and to be treated with dignity.