Police in Masvingo, Zimbabwe, on Friday released Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe President Takavafira Zhou, who was arrested Wednesday on charges of leading demonstrations in the city and held for the next 48 hours.
Police told his lawyers that they could not find witnesses to his alleged leadership of the protest, which was organized by the National Constitutional Assembly.
In an interview, Zhou said the two plainclothes officers who arrested him accused him of taking photos of them using his cell phone, and when he insisted that the matter be sorted out at the nearest police station, accused him of inciting demonstrators.
President Robert Mugabe singled out the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe in a speech last week, accusing the union of trying to destabilize his government.
Zhou told reporter Jonga Kandemiiri of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that he believed Mugabe’s comments resulted in his arrest and detention for two days.