Bulawayo, Stockholm | Sunday
ZIMBABWEAN police on Saturday arrested eleven people, including four church ministers, at meeting in the western city of Bulawayo to pray for peace in the run-up to next month’s presidential elections.
Church officials told the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) in South Africa that Father Noel Scott from the Anglican Church and other church leaders from all denominations were headed for regular prayer sessions when he was arrested.
An ACDP statement said on Sunday that Scott had earlier asked for permission for the ”Peace Prayer Procession” but police denied him permission, citing what they called unruly elements which could disrupt the session.
A Sapa correspondent reported that the church leaders were charged under draconian security laws with ”disobeying the command of a police officer,” which carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail.
The ACDP said the Zimbabwean church leaders notified the party of the arrests in a letter which stated: ”What usually happens is that here in Hillside, the prayers begin at the Catholic Church, after a church service and prayers, everybody then walks on foot in procession to the next church which has been the Anglican Church.
”The procession, involving hundreds of people, then walks onto the next church which has been the Presbyterian Church. From there the final leg of the peace/prayer walk ends at the Methodist Church.”
After Scott was on Saturday denied permission to lead the churchgoers to walk to various churches, the members decided to drive.
Police then arrested Scott and charged him with failing to comply with the prohibition.
David Coltart, an MP in the city for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, said that the arrested were detained at the Bulawayo central police station.
The ACDP, however, said church leaders in Zimbabwe had been denied access to Scott, who has a heart condition which requires medication three times a day.
Those arrested along with Scott are: Pastor Graham Shaw of the Methodist Church, Pastor Kevin O’ Doherty of the Catholic Church, Peter Botright, Ron Marillier, Trevor Leonard, Palany Rojah, David Marolong, Barry Dickenson, John Stakesby and his wife Joan who are both teachers at Girls College.
Meanwhile, Sweden on Saturday harshly condemned Harare for expelling Swede Pierre Schori, the head of the EU observer team in Zimbabwe to monitor next month’s presidential vote.
”Zimbabwe expelled Pierre Schori today. This is definitive proof that Robert Mugabe wants to prevent the EU from observing the election at all costs,” Foreign Minister Anna Lindh said in a statement, referring to Zimbabwe’s president.
Zimbabwe revoked Schori’s visa on Saturday after he announced to the media that he had sent a report to Brussels for discussion at Monday’s meeting of the EU council of foreign ministers.
The ministers will decide on Monday whether to slap sanctions on Mugabe’s regime following the latest developments.
Schori will now testify at that meeting, Lindh said.
Schori, Sweden’s UN ambassador, arrived in Zimbabwe on a tourist visa and was denied accreditation to observe the March 9-10 elections because he is from one of six EU countries Harare has barred from monitoring the vote.
Harare accuses Sweden and five other EU countries — Britain, Denmark, Finland, Germany and The Netherlands — of supporting the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. – Sapa-AFP
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