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Crisis Coalition director charged with 'criminal nuisance'
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
March 14, 2011

The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Director, McDonald Lewanika was today 14 March 2011 charged with 'criminal nuisance' by the Chitungwiza police following his Saturday arrest and subsequent release.

The police indicated that they would proceed by way of summons once they have spoken to witnesses and completed a docket. They however, remained in possession of 300 plain t-shirts, stencils (on peace and unity) and spray paints which were to be used to print messages on the t-shirts, 15 anti-POSA t-shirts, 20 Voice Up Constitutional campaign t-shirts, 50 wrist bands, 50 calendars and 50 copies of the Legal Monitor.

Lewanika was arrested on Saturday 12 March during a concert hosted by Uhuru Vibes at Chitungwiza Aquatic Centre and detained for more than three hours. Police initially accused the Crisis Director of distributing subversive material but later charged him with the lesser and commonly used Section 46 of the Criminal Law and Codification Act on Miscellaneous Offences. The charge has often been used by the police as a last resort in the event that they fail to obtain enough evidence to justify more complex charges against pro-democracy actors. The incident comes hardly two weeks after Avondale Police quizzed Crisis Coalition employees on the functions and 'business' of The Coalition.

In a similar incident, the Director of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum, Abel Chikomo who police were looking for, reported at the Harare Central Police Station where he was however informed that the Officer in Charge was unavailable. He was asked to return on a later date. His charges remain unknown.

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