ERC demands release of arrested staff

Zim Now Writer

The Election Resource Centre has demanded the immediate release of ERC and Zimbabwe Election Support Network staff and volunteers to ensure that they are awarded their full rights.

ERC and ZESN said they are concerned over the raiding of their data centres and the arrest and safety of staff members who were gathering electoral information by law enforcement last night.

“The ERC and ZESN jointly set up two data centres for observation of the Harmonised Elections, one at Holiday Inn and another in The Grange in Harare. On the night of August 23, armed police raided both data centres, the organisations’ offices, arrested staff and volunteers present and confiscated equipment such as phones and laptops.

“ERC and ZESN are independent, non-partisan organisations accredited to observe the election. Both have been observing elections and supporting democratic peaceful processes in Zimbabwe.

“As part of these efforts, ERC and ZESN analyse publicly available information and direct observations from accredited observers as recognised in the Zimbabwe electoral code.

“Therefore, the organisations’ operations are well within the law. It is through the data centre that information on polling day processes, updates and critical incidents are recorded. From the information gathered throughout the Electoral cycle, ERC and ZESN will be in a position to appraise the credibility of elections as provided for in Section 40 G of the Electoral Act, SADC Principles and Guidelines on Conducting Democratic Elections, Article 22 of ACDEG as well as international fundamental obligations,” the CSO’s said.

The 40 staff members were allegedly arrested for contravening Section 66 of the Electoral Act.