By A Correspondent| Robson Chere, a human rights activist, has initiated legal proceedings against Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe and Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) Director General Elijah Chingosho, serving both with a notice of his intention to sue. Chere accuses State security agents of abducting and torturing him and fellow activists three months ago.
The alleged incident occurred on July 31, when Chere and three other activists—Namatai Kwekweza, Samuel Gwenzi, and Vusumuzi Moyo—were forcibly removed from a Victoria Falls-bound flight at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport. Reports indicate that the group was subsequently tortured while in detention.
The activists were reportedly targeted after participating in a protest at the Harare magistrates’ court in solidarity with 78 members of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) who had been arrested for unlawful gathering the previous month. This incident has raised fresh concerns over human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, particularly toward those opposing government actions.
In a related development, three other activists arrested ahead of the 44th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit have been granted bail by the High Court, set at US$150 each. The court imposed strict bail conditions, including monthly police check-ins, non-interference with State witnesses, and residing at designated addresses.
In letters sent to both Kazembe and Chingosho, Chere, represented by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, has demanded compensation for what he describes as “unlawful arrest, detention, assault, and torture,” along with the associated pain, suffering, and trauma. “This letter serves as a notice of intention to sue you for damages for unlawful arrest, detention, unlawful assault or torture, pain and suffering, humiliation and affront to dignity, trauma and nervous shock arising from our client’s forced ejectment from an outward-bound domestic flight at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport and incommunicado detention,” the notice stated.
During interrogation, Chere claims he was brutally beaten, causing him to lose consciousness. His case underscores the broader struggle for human rights in Zimbabwe and allegations of state-led suppression of dissent.
This is not Chere’s first legal action against government officials. In 2021, he joined human rights lawyer Douglas Coltart and other pro-democracy activists in suing Kazembe, Zimbabwe Republic Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga, and the National Prosecuting Authority for ZWL$12.5 million, citing wrongful arrest and prosecution related to accusations of inciting civil unrest.
Chere’s latest legal move highlights the climate of fear and repression faced by human rights defenders in Zimbabwe, where activists continue to report harassment and violence for their advocacy on democracy and justice.