24 SHOW CASES HRDs ASSERTING THE RIGHT TO ACCESS MEDICAL CARE AND FORCED REMOVALS … ZLHR Annual Report 2014 S v Patrick Chinounda & 29 Others (Chiredzi) ZLHR took up this case, which arose in Chingwizi– a camp near Chiredzi for internally displaced persons. The matter arose on 2 August 2014 and involved 30 villagers, who were assisted by ZLHR. Members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police had swooped on villagers at Chingwizi after they resisted the relocation of a medical clinic from Chingwizi transit camp in a bid by the government authorities to force them to move to a new site before the government had compensated them and provided sufficient and productive land for their use. The provocative move by the police led the villagers to resist the attempted transfer, and ended in confrontation with the police. In a retributive exercise, the police the next day enlisted the services of the Zimbabwe National Army and launched a pre-dawn raid on Chingwizi transit camp where they rounded up close to 300 villagers. Everyone who was deemed a ‘threat’ to the move was targeted, resulting in the authorities burning the villagers’ tents, which they had called home since February. Out of the 27 villagers eventually detained, one woman had a suckling baby. Lawyers challenged the lawfulness of the arrest of the Chingwizi villagers, who were finally brought to court on 5 August 2014 facing public violence charges under the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. They appeared for trial a few months later. On 8 December 2014, and with the legal support of ZLHR, 25 villagers were set free as no evidence was found against them; 26 villagers were discharged at the end of state case and the trial for the other 5 will continue in January 2015. Some of the Chingwizi villagers represented by ZLHR