The
messages,
the
prayers,
the
legal
support,
the
medical
support,
practical
assistance,
and
keyboard
warriors
have
all
worked
together
to
ensure
our
release
and
it
is
this
solidarity
that
kept
my
brothers
in
the
struggle
and
me
strong
until
day
35
when
we
were
released
on
bail.
I
have
also
received
a
lot
of
love
and
solidarity
from
the
29
courageous
women
who
were
arrested
on
the
16th
of
June
along
with
James
Timba.
The
world
must
know
that
they
are
still
at
Chikurubi
Maximum
Female
Prison
and
they
have
suffered
a
great
deal
from
the
brutal
beatings
they
were
subjected
to
on
the
16th
of
June.
These
are
the
people
who
took
care
of
me
when
I
arrived
at
Chikurubi
Prison,
traumatized
and
in
pain,
and
the
people
who
gave
me
the
hope
and
resolve
to
remain
strong
until
my
release
on
bail.
I
am
aware
that
a
few
of
them
were
released,
however,
we
all
are
not
free
until
all
of
them
are
free.
We
must
take
this
moment
as
a
nation
to
continue
demanding
the
unconditional
release
of
all
political
prisoners
as
there
are
many
whose
stories
might
never
reach
the
media,
but
they
still
suffer
greatly
and
their
stories
deserve
to
be
told
and
heard.
On
31
July
2024,
we
(Chere,
Gwenzi,
and
I)
boarded
a
domestic
flight
to
Victoria
Falls
at
12:50
and
this
was
the
start
of
our
horrific
ordeal.
We
were
abducted,
taken
to
the
domestic
terminal
at
the
airport
which
at
the
time
was
closed
to
the
public
due
to
renovations,
tortured,
held
incommunicado,
intimidated,
interrogated
by
unidentified
persons,
and
finally
handed
over
to
the
police
after
8
hours
upon
which
the
disorderly
conduct
charges
were
brought
against
us.
The
persons
who
interrogated
us
kept
accusing
us
of
planning
demonstrations
to
humiliate
the
country
and
the
President
during
the
SADC
summit
and
they
stated
that
we
were
on
our
way
to
Victoria
Falls
to
meet
more
people
to
plan
with.
All
of
us
were
clueless
about
the
stated
accusation
and
we
were
told
that
“when
the
SADC
visitors
came
to
Zimbabwe,
we
had
to
be
well-behaved
and
not
humiliate
the
country”.
In
hindsight,
I
think
of
how
silly
these
people
sounded,
and
yet
for
those
reasons
we
were
abducted,
tortured,
and
imprisoned.
What
is
further
concerning
is
the
charge
of
disorderly
conduct
at
an
incident
that
occurred
while
I
was
outside
Zimbabwe.
Chere
and
Gwenzi
were
also
not
present
at
the
stated
incident!
The
issue
is
not
about
the
charge
of
disorderly
conduct,
it
is
about
the
abduction
and
torture
that
happened
prior
ahead
of
the
SADC
summit
and
our
abductors
needing
a
justification
for
why
we
were
held
incommunicado
for
8
hours
before
releasing
us
into
police
custody.
The
conditions
were
we
subject
to
after
our
arrest
were
macabre.
The
issue
was
that
my
co-accused
were
moved
from
remand
prison
to
the
D
section
of
Chikurubi
Maximum
Prison
for
men
and
they
would
come
to
court
with
leg
irons
and
handcuffs.
They
were
treated
like
dangerous
criminals
and
it
shocks
me
still
that
persons
charged
with
disorderly
conduct
are
treated
like
those
charged
with
more
serious
crimes.
Of
concern
was
Mr
Chere
whose
injuries
were
extremely
severe
and
walking
in
leg
irons
with
his
injuries
is
something
that
took
courage
and
resilience.
Prison
life
is
difficult
and
prison
conditions
painful
not
only
for
political
prisoners
but
for
prisoners
in
general.
I
am
thankful
to
the
many
individuals
and
organizations
who
I
saw
coming
to
visit
prisoners
particularly
the
7th
Day
Adventist
Church
which
a
lot
of
prisoners
speak
highly
of.
More
corporations,
churches,
and
individuals
must
organize
programs
to
visit
prisoners
especially
those
with
long
sentences
and
to
support
some
of
their
material
needs
as
some
of
them
do
not
get
visitors
to
see
them.
I
believe
Zimbabwe
as
a
nation
can
do
more
for
those
in
prison.
I
believe
ordinary
people
and
groups
can
work
together
to
make
our
prisons
better
for
prisoners.
I
pray
that
more
people
will
be
inspired
to
consistently
support
prisoners.
Friends
and
comrades,
I
continue
the
fight
for
a
free,
democratic,
and
safe
Zimbabwe.
A
country
in
which
state
machinery
is
used
to
protect
citizens
and
not
weaponized
against
them.
In
my
case,
I
have
watched
in
shock
as
different
institutions
have
lied
to
keep
me
and
my
co-accused
locked
up
for
35
days.
My
conviction
is
in
truth
particularly
the
concept
of
“Satyagraha”
truth
force
that
MK
Gandi
believed.
There
are
some
absolute
truths
that
can
not
be
denied
even
with
a
thousand
lies.
It
is
an
absolute
truth
that
I
was
out
of
Zimbabwe
when
the
stated
offence
was
committed.
It
is
an
absolute
truth
that
there
is
an
ongoing
crackdown
on
Civil
Society,
activists,
and
any
opposition
to
the
government
in
Zimbabwe.
It
is
also
an
absolute
truth
that
many
of
those
arrested
in
the
James
Timba
case
are
still
in
prison.
I
believe
in
truth
and
that
the
truth
will
set
me
free
–
literally!
What
they
arrested
on
the
31st
of
July
was
just
my
body.
My
spirit
throughout
the
whole
ordeal
remained
free!
In
my
heart,
I
have
a
fervent
belief
in
the
strength
of
the
human
will
in
its
pursuit
of
truth,
Justice,
and
freedom.
I
move
forward
in
the
struggle
for
dignity.