Maravi

(NEWZIMBABWE) Gwisai treason charges dropped

Gwisai treason charges dropped
19/07/2011 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

FORMER MDC MP Munyaradzi Gwisai and five others who were charged with treason in February were told on Monday that they now face lesser charges of conspiracy to commit violence.

Gwisai, 42, Antonater Choto, 36, Tatenda Mombeyarara, 29, Edson Chakuma, 38, Hopewell Gumbo, 32 and Welcome Zimuto, 25, were in a group of 46 unionists, opposition activists and students arrested in February after authorities said they were plotting “Egyptian-style” uprisings to topple President Robert Mugabe’s government.

The group had been watching videos of the uprisings which forced Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to stand down. Charges against 39 people were later dropped.
The Attorney General's decision on Monday means the six are no longer on trial for their lives.

The new charge is “conspiracy to commit violence or alternatively inciting public violence or participating in a gathering with intent to promote public violence, breaches of peace and bigotry”.

Harare magistrate Morgan Nemadire recused himself from the case because he was “known” to one of the accused, forcing the postponement of the trial to August 22.
The activists' lawyer Alec Muchadehama said the state is "desperate to harass its own citizens."

"The state has no case. We have a very clear case of persecution and not prosecution," he said.

Labels: EGYPT, MUNYARADZI GWISAI, TREASON

posted by MrK @ 3:09 PM