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SST official arrested
Students Solidarity Trust
April 24, 2013

In yet another unprecedented and brazen attack on members of the Zimbabwean civic society signaling increasing paranoia by the law un-enforcement agents ahead of crucial watershed elections this year Trevor Murai from the Students Solidarity Trust was arrested in Mt Pleasant yesterday. Trevor Murai who is the Information and Advocacy officer of the Students Solidarity Trust, a youth based organization that provides demand driven solidarity to the students’ community was picked up by plain-clothes officers after making a presentation on elections at a workshop organized by the Christian Alliance (CA).

In a typical arrest-in order-to-investigate the plain clothes officers who were masquerading as church members during the workshop apprehended the unsuspecting Trevor after he had finished his presentation and told him they believe he had a case to answer before taking him to Marlborough Police station where he spent the whole night. By midnight yesterday no charges had been preferred against Trevor Murai. SST officials who made enquiries at the police station were only told that Trevor Murai will be transferred to Harare Central Police Station Law and Order Section early today where charges are going to be preferred against him.

Lawyers representing Trevor Murai visited him last night at Marlborough police station to enquire about the reasons for the arrest but only discovered that his case has been recorded as ‘embarking on voter education’ in the Detention Book (DB). This suggests that the state wants to allege that Trevor Murai was doing voter education which has been outlawed by the new Electoral Act (Cap 2:11) through Section 40C (1) (h) read with 40F. How can a mere presentation on elections suddenly become voter education?

Visit the Students Solidarity Trust fact sheet

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