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Artists arrested over satirical play released without charges
MISA-Zimbabwe
October 04, 2007

Freelance cameraperson James Jemwa, actors Sylvanos Mudzvova and Anthony Tongani who were arrested on 23 September 2007 were released without charges after spending two nights in custody at Harare Central Police Station.

The three were arrested during the performance of the satirical play, Final Push, which depicts the country's seven-year socio-economic political crisis.

Background

According to Daniel Maphosa, the play's technical director and producer, the three were arrested in Harare Gardens' Theatre in the Park by plainclothes police officers who were part of the audience that had gathered to watch the play. Mudzvova and Tongani were arrested backstage and bundled into a police truck.

Jemwa who was filming the play was arrested when he went backstage to investigate what was going on. "The arrests are a travesty of justice and an affront to freedom of expression. Our space for public debate and free expression is shrinking daily," said Maphosa.

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