Dozens Of Zimbabwean Opposition Supporters Beaten By Police During The Timba Jameson Liberation Demo

ILLUSTRATION OF UNSPLASH/Gabe Pierce

JAKARTA - Zimbabwe police beat dozens of opposition supporters and arrested a number of people outside the court in the Harare capital.

They staged an action on Thursday, June 27, after members of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CC) party were not granted guarantees for release after two weeks ago' arrest.

Reuters reported that Judge Harare rejected guarantees to interim leaders of the Jameson Timba party and 78 activists arrested on June 16 for holding political meetings that authorities say are invalid.

Timba took over as interim leader of the CCC after former leader Nelson Chamisa withdrew from the party in January, on charges the party had been hijacked by the ruling party ZANU-PF.

The riot police unit guarded the entrance to the court and the arrests were made hours after President Emmerson Munangagwa said those believed to be causing trouble would be handled.

Reuters reporters saw the arrest of a woman holding a poster demanding the release of the activists. While some of them were put in a police truck and others fled from police carrying sticks.

Activists were not given guarantees for fear they would cause public disturbances and disrupt witnesses in state cases, their lawyer, Agency Gumbo, told reporters.

Gumbo said his team would appeal the decision in a high court.

"We are not sure there is a strong reason to reject the suspect's guarantee.