A Zimbabwe court has denied bail for opposition leader Jameson Timba and 64 supporters for the third time since their controversial arrest 14 weeks ago.
Critics accuse the ruling ZANU-PF party of suppressing democracy and dissent since it came to power in 1980.
Timba, leader of the Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC), was arrested at his home on June 16 during a crackdown prior to a Southern African summit in July. Although they were acquitted of disorderly conduct on September 4, the charge of participating in an unlawful gathering still stands.
The magistrate ruled that there were “no new circumstances” justifying their release. Timba and nearly 80 others were detained ahead of the July 17 summit, where President Emmerson Mnangagwa assumed the SADC chairperson role.
Rights groups report that around 160 opposition supporters and activists were arrested before the summit, with some released since then.