Zimbabwe police have arrested the interim leader of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Jameson Timba and 80 other activists for allegedly holding an unauthorized political meeting, their lawyer said on Monday.
Timba took over as interim leader of CCC after former leader Nelson Chamisa quit the party in January, alleging it had been hijacked by the ruling ZANU-PF party.
The arrests of Jameson Timba and 80 other activists were made on Sunday.
“They are still in custody and we are working on their release. They are likely to be charged with maintenance of public order laws,” lawyer Agency Gumbo told Reuters.
CCC party spokesperson Promise Mkwananzi said the arrests were “regrettable” and showed “democratic regression”.
Police were not immediately available for comment.
The law requires that political parties apply for clearance from police before holding a public gathering. Sections of the law have been used in the past to clamp down on the opposition and ban political rallies.
 Jameson Timba and 80 other activists for allegedly holding an unauthorized political meeting, their lawyer said on Monday.){kind=link}