HARARE – Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) vice president Tendai Biti was on Monday arrested by armed police but was freed after nearly two hours without charge, his lawyers said.
Biti, campaigning to be MP in Harare East in a March 26 by-election, was seized outside a supermarket in the suburb of Greendale.
The 55-year-old had been on what his party described as a “meet-and-greet”.
The former finance minister was not told what charges he faced, CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere said.
He was initially taken to Harare Central Police Station before he was driven to Rhodesville Police Station where police released him to his lawyer Alec Muchadehama.
Earlier, the CCC railed at what it called an “unlawful” arrest.
“The vice president was unlawfully arrested in Greendale by three armed police officers including the officer in charge of Rhodesville Police Station,” Mahere said in a statement.
“Police have declined to advise him of the charges.”
Biti spent the weekend on the campaign trail in Harare East.
He was controversially recalled as MP for the constituency in 2020 in what his party says is a conspiracy between the ruling Zanu PF party, its puppet MDC-T party and politically-corrupted judges.
The CCC, led by Nelson Chamisa, was launched last month after the MDC-T, aided by judges, appropriated the MDC Alliance name.
Chamisa has called for the reform of state institutions including the police and judiciary which he says are being used to suppress his party from organising.
