A Zimbabwe court denied bail on Monday to the jailed opposition leader and 64 supporters for a third time since their widely condemned arrest 14 weeks ago.
Critics have long accused Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party – in power since independence in 1980 – of stifling both democracy and dissent.
Jameson Timba, leader of the main opposition Citizens' Coalition for Change (CCC), and the others were arrested at his home on June 16 as part of what rights groups said was a crackdown ahead of a Southern African summit in July.
They were acquitted of a charge of disorderly conduct on September 4 but an allegation of participating in an unlawful gathering remains.
'No circumstances warranting release'
In denying bail on Monday, the magistrate said there "are no new circumstances warranting their release" from pre-trial detention.
Timba was arrested with nearly 80 people ahead of the July 17 summit in Harare of the 16-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) where Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa started a one-year stint as chairperson.
Rights groups, including Amnesty International, say that around 160 opposition supporters and human rights defenders were arrested before the summit.
Several of them have been released since. A dozen of those arrested with Timba were acquitted of all charges on September 4.
Watch-list
The CCC is the main opposition to Mnangagwa's ZANU-PF, which has been in power since independence in 1980.
A global alliance of civil society organisations, CIVICUS, added Zimbabwe to a human rights watch-list announced on Monday "due to a rapid decline in fundamental civic freedoms."
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