The court hearing on Thursday was conducted in a hospital ward where the three are receiving treatment for injuries they say were as a result of torture by state agents.

The next court date would be on 13 August, their lawyers said in a statement.

On 13 May, MP Joana Mamombe and youth leaders Cecilia Chimbiri and Nestai Marova took part in a protest with other Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) youth members.

The demonstration called for an end to lockdown restrictions, according to the prosecution.

The women say they were arrested after the protests, then abducted from the police station.

They say they endured hours of torture, including sexual assault, before being left in another town.

The government says they staged their own abduction.