The Zimbabwean
By Ashly Sibanda
8 November 2012
Education and Culture Minister, David Coltart has condemned the police and the Attorney General’s double standards for arresting Counselling Services UNION (CSU) representatives yet failing to arrest named Asiagate match fixers.
Coltart called on the police and the AG, Johannes Tomana to arrest Asiagate match fixers with the same speed and determination they did against CSU officials on Monday.
Three CSO officials, Fidelis Mudimu, Zachariah Godi, Tafadzwa Gesa have since been transferred to Bulawayo to face trial for allegedly having subversive material.
“As I said earlier on this week we in the MDC condemn the arrest and detention of these folk who look after and counsel torturevictims. The circumstances of the arrest and detention is so unusual that we expect the AG and ZRP to explain what they have been arrested for.It would be nice if the AG and ZRP acted with the same haste and determination as they have in the CSU case in prosecuting those responsible for match fixing and corruption in Zimbabwe football,†Coltart said on Thursday.
The MDC’s and a number of civic society activists have condemned the police for raiding CSU offices and arresting its repreventatives officials.
CSU is a non-governmental organization that provides psychological and medical assistance to individuals traumatized by political violence and torture.
The raid has been condemned by civic groups and political parties in the country, who accuse the government of conducting a crackdown on human rights defenders and political activists.
There have been several other raids and arrests of journalists and MDC-T officials in the last few months, which some observers have linked to elections due in the country next year.