NAIROBI (KAAB TV) – Amnesty International, has condemned the arbitrary arrest and detention of lawyers Doug Coltart and Tapiwa Muchineripi by Zimbabwean police on September 4, 2023, for their representation of Womberaiishe Nhende, an opposition elected councillor, and Sonele Mukhuhlani.
Womberaiishe Nhende, an opposition elected councillor, and Sonele Mukhuhlani were abducted and subjected to torture over the weekend, Amnesty International says.
Khanyo Farisè, Deputy Director for Southern Africa said these attacks represent a grave injustice and mark a new low for what little remains of the rule of law in Zimbabwe.
“We strongly condemn the arrest and detention of human rights lawyers who were merely fulfilling their professional duties. These arrests represent a grave injustice and mark a new low for what little remains of the rule of law in Zimbabwe,” said Farisè.
“Charges against Doug Coltart and Tapiwa Muchineripi must be dropped,” added Farisè.
Amnesty International says the arrest and detention of Doug Coltart and Tapiwa Muchineripi constitute an assault on the independence of the legal profession and fair trial rights in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwean human rights lawyers have bravely defended targeted human rights defenders and political activists amidst systematic violations of freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, which have escalated in the lead-up to Zimbabwe’s 2023 general elections, it added.
“Authorities must uphold international standards regarding the independence of the legal profession and fair trial rights by ensuring that lawyers are not persecuted for carrying out their duty of defending their clients,” said Farisè. “Lawyers should be able to fulfill their professional responsibilities without intimidation, obstruction, harassment, or improper interference. Lawyers should not be associated with their clients’ causes merely because they are fulfilling their professional obligations.”
On September 4, 2023, human rights lawyers Doug Coltart and Tapiwa Muchineripi of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), who were representing two members of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) abducted and hospitalized in Harare, were arrested and charged with obstructing the course of justice.
The lawyers were taken into custody for informing the police about the dire condition of the two political opposition members, who were under medical care. Police denied them bail. Their clients, Womberaiishe Nhende, the elected Councilor for Glen Norah Ward 27 in Harare, and Sonele Mukhuhlani, had been abducted, tortured, and later abandoned on the outskirts of Harare on September 2, 2023.