HARARE – Some anti-riot police have besieged the offices of the Zimbabwe Divine Destiny in Central Harare and arrested preachers and congregants who were gathered there following a police ban on the Zimbabwe We Want Campaign.
The team was taken to Harare Central Police Station, according to a message posted on the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) Twitter handle.
“I have been arrested for praying for my country,” also posted Zimbabwe Divine Destiny founder Bishop Ancelimo Magaya on his Twitter handle.
Said ZLHR, “Bishop Magaya is under siege! We are attending to a distress call as police has disrupted a prayer meeting. Several participants have been force marched ordered into police & taken to Central. Our litigation lawyers are attending.”
The lawyers group put the number of those arrested at 36.
Lawyers are reportedly being denied access to the group.
According to a banner earlier circulated on social media by organisers, the campaign was stated as a “church led multi-sectoral people’s initiative to pray and campaign for the Zimbabwe we want which is corruption free, just, peaceful, prosperous and democratic”.
The launch had been set for this Friday at the Dutch Reformed Church in Zimbabwe along Samora Machel Avenue in Harare.
Police banned the meeting saying it was in fact a political gathering disguised as a prayer event.
