On Monday, November 18, 2024, a Zimbabwean court instructed the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to return electronic devices, including mobile phones and laptops, that had been unlawfully confiscated from three well-known pro-democracy activists.
According to the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), the activists—Namatai Kwekweza, Robson Chere, and Samuel Gwenzi—were detained in Harare on July 31, 2024, while attempting to board a flight. They were reportedly tortured and later charged with disorderly conduct in a public place.
The trio was traveling to a conference in Victoria Falls when they were detained at Robert Mugabe International Airport. ZLHR reports that the three individuals—Kwekweza, leader of WeLead Trust; Chere, Secretary-General of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe; and Gwenzi, a former Harare Councillor—were accused of participating in an unauthorized demonstration at the Harare Magistrates Court in June. This protest was in support of the release of opposition leader Jameson Timba and other members of the Citizens Coalition for Change who were imprisoned at the time.
The activists, who have been released on bail, are represented by lawyers Jeremiah Bamu, Tinashe Chinopfukutwa, and Kelvin Kabaya. They recently filed a petition in the Harare Magistrates Court seeking the return of their confiscated electronics. The defense argued that the devices were being unlawfully held by the police and that they were not needed for their trial.
On November 18, 2024, the court ruled in favor of the activists, ordering ZRP to return their mobile phones and laptops.
The three, along with several others, including Vusumuzi Moyo, Phillies Pikitayi, Dephine Gutsa, Simbarashe Blackson, Emmanuel Sitima, and Last Chinodya, are scheduled to return to court on December 9, 2024, for a ruling on their request to dismiss the charges of disorderly conduct.
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