Prosecutors contend that Bryant had not been arrested or even detained at the time and, therefore, police were not required to read him his rights.

CNN: Bryant's secretly recorded statement admitted

It was a sharp and telling contrast with Zimbabwe's other main party, the former opposition MDC - now "partners" in an uneasy unity government - which can rarely even secure police permission for its rallies, and whose ministers are sometimes abused or detained at police roadblocks.

BBC: Zimbabwe: The land of nervous laughter