HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — A Zambian lawyer says senior Zimbabwean opposition official Tendai Biti has been deported to Zimbabwe, where he likely faces arrest after his asylum bid was rejected.
Gilbert Phiri tells The Associated Press that Biti was handed over Thursday morning despite a Zambian court order saying he should not be deported until the court could hear his appeal. Phiri says Zambia’s actions are in defiance of local and international laws.
Biti, a former finance minister and newly elected member of parliament for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, is wanted in Zimbabwe for allegedly inciting violence after urging opposition supporters to defend their votes in last week’s disputed election.
Biti’s plight has raised concerns about a wave of repression against the opposition by the government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.