HARARE, Mar 19: Zimbabwe police have defied a high court order to release a prominent human rights lawyer, her attorneys said today, prompting accusations of a campaign of intimidation ahead of an election this year.
Police arrested Beatrice Mtetwa and four officials from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in one of the party’s offices in the capital Harare yesterday.
Tsvangirai accused President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party and the police of running a campaign of intimidation to ruin the chances of a free and fair vote in the election that is expected at some point this year.
‘These are signs of a police force that has become an appendage of a political party, which party is now showing signs of panic and fear in light of the imminent prospects of losing the forthcoming election,’ he said.
Former opposition chief Tsvangirai went into government with his rival Mugabe after a violent and disputed vote in 2008.
The two have had a stormy relationship and Tsvangirai has accused the veteran leader of using the security services to intimidate his supporters in the past – charges Mugabe denies.
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights group, which is representing Mtetwa, said it had obtained a high court order for her release at 0200 hrs (local time), but police continued to detain her. She was still in custody by this afternoon.
‘The police refused to comply with the order,’ the group said in a statement, adding it may ask to have the police declared in contempt of court.
(AGENCIES)
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