Harare, June 26, 2011 (SPS) - A Zimbabwe High Court judge on Sunday freed a senior ally of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai following his arrest on unspecified charges on Friday.
Jameson Timba, a minister in Tsvangirai's office, was arrested soon after his arrival from a visit to Spain but his lawyers had not been able to speak to him because they were denied access by the police.
Judge Joseph Musakwa said police had violated Timba's rights and had not informed him of the charges he faced.
"There is no justification for his continued detention," Musakwa said.
In the past week, officials from President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party have been calling for the arrest of both Tsvangirai and Timba, accusing them of labelling the veteran ruler a liar over the outcome of a regional summit on Zimbabwe.