Harare/Johannesburg - At least 15 Christian pastors were arrested in Zimbabwe this week for attending a prayer meeting near the capital Harare without permission from the police, an opposition party statement said on Wednesday.
The 15 were part of a group that attended a prayer meeting in Chitungwiza town south of Harare on Saturday, a faction of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said in a statement.
MDC members of parliament Job Sikhala and Goodwich Chimbaira also attended the meeting but were not arrested, according to the statement.
The pastors were fined and released on Saturday. But they were picked up again on Monday evening and detained, said the statement.
Police have not confirmed the arrests. It was not immediately possible to speak to lawyers for the men to find out whether they were still behind bars.
The arrest of the pastors is indicative of the continued assault on people's liberties by the Zanu-PF regime, said the MDC statement: "The citizens of Zimbabwe have the God-given right to exercise their religious beliefs, including the political citizenry."
Under Zimbabwe's strict security laws all public meetings require police clearance. Religious gatherings are usually exempted from the requirement, although police clamped down on a highly-publicised prayer rally in March, arresting and beating dozens of opposition supporters and rights activists in a move that sparked international condemnation. - Sapa-DPA