lawyers who can trace them following their arrest and detention.123 Lawyers report that such harassment is mainly at the hands of police in the Law and Order unit of the Criminal Investigations Division, which has frequently been accused of abusing the rights of detainees and their lawyers in political cases.124 Previously, the African Commission had criticized the same Law and Order Section for serious human rights abuses.125 According to the Law Society of Zimbabwe, police are frequently uncooperative and hostile to lawyers, and many have long since ceased to respect the country’s legal profession.126 In May 2007 police arrested lawyers Andrew Makoni and Alec Muchadehama on spurious charges of “attempting to defeat course of justice through a falsehood during the course of a bail application.”127 The two often represent the MDC and others in political cases. A human rights lawyer told Human Rights Watch how, on June 10, 2008, he was made to search for clients accused of political violence at more than 13 police stations in Harare simply because arresting police officers at the Law and Order unit, Harare Central Police Station refused to give accurate details of where his clients were being held.128 Eventually, after more than 10 hours of searching, driving from one police station to another, he located the clients at Avondale Police Station, where, at the beginning of the search he had been told emphatically that his clients were not there. His clients told him that they were held at that particular police station for the whole day.129 Police arrested MDC Secretary General Tendai Biti at Harare airport on June 12, 2008, on his return from South Africa and immediately whisked him away. His lawyers spent several days trying to locate where the police were holding him. After receiving 123 Human Rights Watch interviews with lawyers taking up political cases, Harare, August 21, 22, and 23, 2008. 124 Human Rights Watch interviews with lawyers, Marondera, August 27, 2008. 125 The African Commission Mission Report, Executive Summary of African Commission’s Fact-Finding Mission to Zimbabwe 24 to 28th June 2002, (2002). 126 Arnold Tsunga and Otto Saki, Persecution of Lawyers in Zimbabwe, Law Society of Zimbabwe, 2007. 127 Human Rights Watch interview with Lawyer, Alec Muchadehama, Harare, August 18, 2008. 128 Human Rights Watch interview with lawyer, Harare, August 29, 2008. 129 Ibid. “Our Hands Are Tied” 36