Two Zimbabwean human rights lawyers, Douglas Coltart and Tapiwa Muchineripi, were arrested after advising police not to interrogate their hospitalized clients—opposition activists who reported being abducted and tortured. Rights groups say the arrests amount to the “criminalization of the profession” and an attack on lawyers’ independence.
Both lawyers, members of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, were released on bail and face charges of obstructing justice. Amnesty International called for authorities to stop targeting human rights defenders and to ensure freedoms of assembly, association, and expression.
The arrests came on the same day President Emmerson Mnangagwa began his second term, pledging to uphold democracy and the rule of law—promises rights groups say sharply contrast with recent government actions.