The staff members and volunteers of the Election Resource Centre (ERC) and Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), who were arrested on allegations of attempting to post the general election results, have been released on US$200 bail each.
The bail was granted with stringent reporting conditions, requiring them to report to the police thrice a week.
They are scheduled to appear in court on September 28 for their routine remand.
During their appearance before Harare magistrate Ngoni Nduna, the group raised concerns over the way they were arrested.
On Friday, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) released an update regarding the arrest of individuals affiliated with the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), Election Resource Centre (ERC), and Team Pachedu.
According to the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), they do not regret arresting anyone who goes against the law.
In a statement, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, the police spokesperson, stated that the State will not contest their bail applications. Read the statement:
The Zimbabwe Republic Police, on 23rd August 2023, arrested 36 suspects following a raid at various safe houses and hotel rooms set up by certain individuals and civic organisations, including the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), Election Resource Centre(ERC) and Team Pachedu, for subversive intentions.
The arrest followed a tip-off that the said persons had set up bases and gathered equipment to use for tabulating voting statistics with the intention of unlawfully announcing election results and transmitting the same to foreign countries for unknown reasons.
The coordinators of the information were hiding at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Harare and were in the process of feeding information to a location in The Grange, Harare, where the Presidential Election results were to be have been announced using a VPN System through a so-called “Apollo” concept.
The results were to be announced on 24th August 2023 at the instigation of the Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC). This action was meant to preempt the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), which is the sole constitutionally obligated board to announce election results.
The arrested persons are currently in Police custody. As the Zimbabwe Republic Police, we do not regret arresting people who engage in criminal and unlawful activities but in the spirit of promoting national harmony during our election season, the State will not oppose bail.
Source iHarare.com
