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Arrest of students in Harare
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)
September 08, 2006

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) informs colleagues that the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) arrested eight (8) students in Harare at around 10h00 this morning. The students were arrested whilst holding a meeting in a private room at Palm Lodge along Mazowe Street. Police from the Police Internal Security Intelligence (PISI) were involved in the arrests.

ZLHR Rapid Reaction Unit lawyer, Tafadzwa Mugabe, attended at Harare Central police station, but has been denied access to his clients all day. Members of the ZRP threatened Mr. Mugabe, saying they were going to throw him out of the police station and warned that further unspecified action would follow. Upon the attendance of a further lawyer from ZLHR's Public Interest Litigation Unit, Mr. Lawrence Chibwe, and an insistence by the two lawyers that their clients' rights were being violated, a police officer from the Police District Intelligence Office, who refused to identify himself, told the lawyers: "We have been violating your clients' rights since this morning, and we will continue doing so. We are also violating your rights to see your clients."

The lawyers are currently preparing an urgent application to obtain access to the detained students and secure their release.

The students are; Beloved Chiweshe, Milward Makwenyere, Gideon Chitanga, George Makoni, Fungai Mageza, Lawrence Mashungwa, Clayton Njova and one Terence whose surname could not be identified.

ZLHR expresses its deepest concern and dismay at such unprocedural and lawless behaviour by the very individuals whose mandate it is to protect the integrity and fundamental rights of all the people of Zimbabwe. Detainees have a constitutional right to access their lawyer/s and be represented at all times during arrest and detention. This also goes a long way to ensuring that detainees are not tortured in custody, and that they are not moved from one place to another without the knowledge of their legal representatives.

We shall keep you updated of all developments.

Irene Petras
Acting Executive Director
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights

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