By A Correspondent| Zimbabweans authorities are holding incommunicado about 40 employees of some civil society organizations (CSOs) after seizing them on Wednesday 23 August 2023 in Harare.

The CSOs employees drawn from Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) and Election Resource Centre (ERC) were rounded up around 9: PM on 23 August 2023 and detained at locations, which their lawyers from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) have not ascertained as they are being denied access to their clients by Zimbabwe Republic Police officers.

Fears were abound that the more time elapses without their lawyers Alec Muchadehama, Kossam Ncube and Jeremiah Bamu of ZLHR not having access to their clients, this may turn out to be an enforced disappearance as provisions of section 50 of the Constitution places an obligation of law enforcement agents particularly the Police Service to respect the rights of arrested and detained persons.

Muchadehama, Bamu and Ncube are concerned that their clients are being illegally detained as law enforcement agents should first conduct investigations and effect any arrests after establishing a reasonable suspicion that an offence has been committed.

The human rights lawyers were also apprehensive that none of their clients have been permitted to contact their legal practitioners, spouse, partner or relative as provided in section 50(1)(b)(i)(ii) of the Constitution and also for them to be given food, medication and other amenities and to be treated with dignity.