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Police
disrupt Young Peoples Democracy Summit, as the organizers go in
hiding
Youth
Agenda Trust
January 31, 2011
The Coordinator
of Youth Agenda Trust, Arnold Chamunogwa, has gone into hiding after
being summoned today, 31 January 2011, by the Officer Commanding
Southerton Police District and the Officer in Charge of the Law
and Order Section at Southerton Police Station, Harare. This follows
a summit which was organized by YAT over the weekend which was ironically
disrupted by the same police officers. The police have failed to
give reasons why they require him to report at the notorious police
station.
On Saturday,
29 January 2011, police raided and disrupted a summit which was
being hosted by Youth Agenda Trust (YAT) at YWCA Hostels in Kambuzuma,
Harare. Detectives from the Law and Order Section at Southerton
Police Station teamed up with police officers from Warren Park Police
Station and stormed the venue of the summit demanding to see the
organisers. The police officers were threatening to arrest organisers
of the summit and participants for organizing a meeting without
notifying the police and attending an unsanctioned public gathering
for the later. This was despite efforts by the secretariat of YAT
to explain that the summit was an internal meeting which was being
attended by district volunteers of the organization hence there
was no need to notify the police as stipulated under the Public
Order and Security Act (POSA).
Youth Agenda
Trust hosted a "Young Peoples Democracy Summit" from
the 27th of January to the 30th of January 2011. The summit drew
young activists from YAT's district structures in Redcliff,
Murehwa, Marondera, Epworth, Tsholothso, Kwekwe, Harare, Masvingo,
Chinhoyi, Chegutu, Makonde and Masvingo. The summit was aimed at
drawing up a roadmap for the engagement of young people in the democratization
of Zimbabwe through conscious mobilization in both the constitutional
reform and electoral processes scheduled for 2011.During the two
day summit various participants were receiving threats from anonymous
callers in addition to unusual visitors who were coming in and out
of the summit venue. The summit was prematurely adjourned as the
security situation became increasingly risky. We however want to
salute the participants for their vigilance and courage in light
of threats from faceless cowards.
Visit the Youth
Agenda Trust fact
sheet
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