Chief Immigration Officer petitioned, threatened with legal action over refugees’ detention

The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has written a letter to Chief Immigration Officer Respect Gono asking her to cause the release of some refugees who were rounded up from Tongogara Refugee Camp by Zimbabwe Republic Police officers and arbitrarily detained at 2 prisons in Harare.

ZLHR says they were rounded up some days after protests at Tongogara Refugee Camp of which they were not involved in, the refugees from DRC, Rwanda & Burundi together with their children, were advised that they were being taken to a refugee transit centre.

However, they later found themselves detained at both Chikurubi Female Prison & at Harare Remand Prison without their children & without any explanation as to why they were being held at these 2 prisons.

In the letter, ZLHR lawyers, Paida Saurombe & Tinashe Chinox protested against the unlawful conduct of police officers & Shonhiwa since our clients are recognised refugees with refugee status which has not been withdrawn & are entitled to the protection accorded to refugees at law.

“We have asked Chief Immigration Officer Gono to order the release of the refugees from prison & reunite them with their family members upon which they be returned to Tongogara Refugee Camp.

“Failure to comply with our request would leave us with no option but to institute legal proceedings to secure the release of the refugees & also institute legal proceedings for damages.”

Zwnews