HARARE, Zimbabwe – A court in Zimbabwe has found an opposition leader, Jameson Timba, along with 34 activists guilty of engaging in an illegal gathering. This verdict comes after they spent over five months in pre-trial detention.

Timba, who serves as the interim leader of a faction within the divided Citizens Coalition for Change opposition party, faces potential sentences of up to five years behind bars or the option to pay a fine. The sentencing hearing is scheduled to take place next week, according to Webster Jiti, one of the lawyers representing the activists.

In contrast, the court released 30 other individuals who had been detained alongside Timba, resulting in their acquittal.

The arrests occurred on June 16 at Timba’s home in Harare, where the activists were reportedly gathering for a barbecue in honor of the Day of the African Child, an important observance recognized by the African Union. They were initially charged with disorderly conduct and participating in a meeting that allegedly aimed to incite violence, disrupt peace, or promote intolerance. However, in September, these disorderly conduct charges were dropped by the court.

Amnesty International has criticized the detention, labeling it as a troubling example of repression directed at individuals exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and free expression. The human rights organization has also called for a thorough investigation into claims that some activists endured torture while in police custody.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who ascended to power in a coup in 2017 promising democratic reforms after the long rule of Robert Mugabe, has refuted the accusations of repression. Nevertheless, he has consistently cautioned the opposition against inciting any form of violence.