Beatrice Mtetwa remanded to 3 April
Beatrice Mtetwa remanded to 3 April
Zimbabwe’s prominent human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa has been remanded in custody to 3 April. Her incarceration is a national disgrace and an outrage.
Reuters reports: “Mtetwa was arrested on Sunday and and accused of shouting at and taking pictures of police officers who were conducting a search at the house of one of Tsvangirai’s aides.”
According to Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, of which Mtetwa is a board member, her offence was simply asking the police to see their search warrant, and writing down a list of what was being taken by the police.
She has been detained along with four aides from the Prime Minister’s office.
In denying the bail application of Mtetwa and the four aides today, Magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa said they would “continue to cause commotion and interfere with police investigations”.
Zimbabwe’s Education Minister David Coltart responded via Twitter: How ridiculous – where are the cartoonists out there – the diminutive Beatrice Mtetwa terrifying a bunch of huge policemen?