Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions statement 09-05-08

 

Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions statement

Police have failed to bring to court ZCTU president, Comrade Lovemore Matombo and his secretary general, Comrade Wellington Chibebe after they were locked up yesterday on allegations of 'inciting people to rise against the government'.

The two were arrested after they presented themselves to the police yesterday morning. They were initially interrogated for more than six hours before charges were laid against them. They had availed themselves to the police after armed police had visited their residences searching for them.

The allegations arise from speeches which the two made at this year's May Day celebrations at Dzivaresekwa Stadium.

Aleck Muchademehama, a human rights lawyer who is representing the two said there were no longer any prospects of the police taking the two to court, considering that nothing had been done to prepare the requisite court papers.

He said the two were now set to spend the weekend in police custody as Zimbabwean law stipulates that the police can detain any suspect for a maximum of 48 hours, excluding weekends and public holidays, before he or she is brought to court.

Zimbabwean police are in the habit of detaining political and civil rights activists over the weekend before they are taken to court the next week. The weekend detentions are usually aimed at breaking down the activists, who are usually exposed to extreme inhuman conditions while in police custody