MDC-T blasts police for arresting shutdown pastor

Tuesday, 12 July 2016

MDC condems the unlawful arrest of pastor Evan Mawarire

The MDC unreservedly and strenuously condemns the unlawful arrest of Pastor Evan Mawarire on Tuesday, July 12, 2016. The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) should be a law-abiding and professional Police force that should jealously guard and protect the fundamental human rights and freedoms of all Zimbabweans in accordance with the supreme law of the land, the national constitution.

Pastor Evan Mawarire has been consistently calling upon Zimbabweans to engage in peaceful and non-violent resistance to the excesses of the deeply divided, corrupt and collapsing Zanu PF regime. Indeed, it is the constitutional right of every citizen to be able to engage in peaceful and non-violent demonstrations as clearly enshrined in Section 59 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

 To this extent, therefore, it is wholly uncalled for, and indeed draconian and primitive, for the ZRP to arrest Pastor Evan Mawarire for simply calling upon his fellow Zimbabweans to join him in a peaceful and non-violent stay away.

The Zanu PF regime has got absolutely no respect for the supreme law of the land. This is a regime that routinely and invariably violates the basic tenets of the Constitution, particularly when it comes to the respect and observance of fundamental human rights and freedoms. As the country's largest and most popular political party, the MDC would like to call upon the Zanu PF regime to immediately release Pastor Evan Mawarire. The man has no criminal case to answer.

MDC: Equal Opportunities For All
Obert Chaurura Gutu
MDC National Spokesperson

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