A UNITED KINGDOM-BASED human rights activist has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds in support of the welfare of the 77 Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) activists who are languishing in remand prison after their arrest in June this year.
The funds raised in the campaign by human rights activist Delina Mutyambizi are also expected to assist the CCC supporters’ families.
The police arrested opposition party supporters who were celebrating the Day of the African Child at top party official Jameson Timba’s house in Avondale, Harare, according to party officials.
“My name is Delina Mutyambizi. I am a human rights activist based in the United Kingdom. I am appealing for your urgent help to support Avondale 77, who were brutally and unjustly arrested on June 16 for peacefully commemorating Africa Youth Day at the private residence of Senator Timba,” she said in her appeal.
“During this luncheon, the Zimbabwe Republic Police disrupted and subjected (them) to extreme brutality, even forcing them to march on their knees to the police vehicles, resulting in injuries.
“For the past 35 days, these individuals, including Senator Timba, have been held in pre-trial incarceration under dire conditions.”
Critics often accuse government of using pre-trial detention to hold those it perceives as enemies of the State behind bars.
According to the Open Society Foundations 2021 report on the socio-impact of pre-trial detentions, the decision to detain a person before he is found guilty of a crime is one of the most draconian a State or an individual can make.
- Activist launches GoFundMe for CCC 77
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“As this was a private social gathering, some parents attended with their children. While two minors have been granted bail, a 12-month-old nursing infant remains imprisoned with its mother,” Mutyambizi said.
“We are raising funds to support the welfare of the Avondale 77 and their families during this time of unjust persecution and detention. Please join us in standing in solidarity with them and ensure they receive the support they desperately need.”
Government has gone a gear up in crushing alleged dissent by banning public gatherings citing security threat ahead of the Sadc summit scheduled for next month.
Of late, police have been banning public gatherings, even school money-raising events, particularly those held at night.
