Zimbabwean minister detained immediately after his release

Jun 26, 2011, 13:00 GMT

Harare - A Zimbabwean government minister, who was arrested for allegedly calling President Robert Mugabe a liar, was apprehended again by police Sunday, shortly after a judge ordered his release.

Jameson Timba, a minister in Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's government, disappeared on Friday. It later emerged he had been arrested over an article in which he was quoted as saying that Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party had lied about the outcome of a recent summit held by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Judge Joseph Musakwa ruled that Timba's rights had been violated, since he was denied food and access to his lawyers.

'There was a violation of his rights. He was not informed of the charges he was facing,' said Musakwa. 'Therefore, there is no justification for his continued detention.'

Timba said he was 'moved from one police station to another' and had never been made aware of any charges brought against him.

But immediately after his release, three plainclothes policemen prevented him from getting into his vehicle and ordered him into the back of an open truck, leaving his wife in tears.

Timba's arrest is likely to further strain relations within the country's fragile coalition government, which was formed by Mugabe and Tsvangirai more than two years ago.

The two leaders have clashed on a number of issues, including on the removal of sanctions and the full implementation of the coalition deal.

Mugabe wants elections held this year to end the coalition government, while Tsvangirai insists that key political reforms must be implemented first.