Two Journalists Arrested At COPAC Meeting

Andrison Manyere and Nkosana Dlamini were detained over night at Waterfalls Police Station after being arrested while covering a COPAC meeting at St John Retreat in Harare South. The two were arrested despite being accredited by the government.
They had also been cleared by COPAC secretariat to cover the two-day exercise.Nhlanhla Ngwenya, the national director of the Media Institute of Southern Africa Zimbabwe Chapter told Radio VOP on Saturday night that his organisation had contacted human rights lawyer Alex Muchadehama to try
and secure their release.
But by Sunday morning the journalists were still reportedly in police custody in Waterfalls.
Another Journalist Joshua Manyere (32) was beaten up and seriously wounded by suspected ZANU (PF) supporters at St John Retreat, where the journalists were arrested. According to sources Joshua was battling for his life at a local private hospital.
Details obtained from an observer stationed at the venue indicate that during the meeting, suspected ZANU (PF) supporters threatened Manyere with unspecified action after his contributions were regarded as inconsistent with the views held by the ZANU PF supporters.
After the meeting, it is alleged that Manyere was attacked by a group of suspected ZANU (PF) supporters and seriously injured during the commotion.
Meanwhile, Ms. Diana Nyikadzino, an employee of the Movement for
Democratic Change was on Saturday  detained at Waterfalls Police station for reasons still to be established after her apprehension at Hopley Clinic, Harare South. The Harare outreach resumed on Saturday and ends on Sunday after it was abandoned last month due to violence
which left an MDC T supporter in Mbare dead.