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(TALKZIMBABWE) Gwisai guilty of plotting to oust Mugabe

Gwisai guilty of plotting to oust Mugabe
Posted by By Brett Mashingaidze at 20 March, at 03 : 45 AM

A HARARE magistrate yesterday convicted former Highfield legislator Munyaradzi Gwisai and his five accomplices of planning Arab Spring style mass protests. Gwisai was jointly charged with Antoneta Choto (36), Tatenda Mombeyarara (29), Edson Chakuma (38), Hopewell Gumbo (32) and Welcome Zimuto (25).

They were charged under Section 188 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act, as read with Section 36. The offence attracts a fine or imprisonment not exceeding 10 years or both.

The matter was deferred to today to allow the six, who were remanded out of custody, to address the court in mitigation.

Delivering the judgment in a packed courtroom with heavy police presence, Mr Kudakwashe Jarabini, said the State had managed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

He said watching a video was not a crime, but the manner in which the six showed and watched the video had no good intentions.

“Watching the video is not a crime, however, the manner at which they watched it was meant to arouse feelings of hostility to those present in the meeting. Watching it in those circumstances was nasty and pathetic.”

He said people who attended the meeting knew what was going to be said since it was highlighted on the invitations.

“It is not in dispute that the invitations had all the issues to be discussed. Taking into account what was written on the invitations and the agenda of the meeting, one can safely conclude that the meeting was not innocent and academic, but was meant to urge people to revolt against the Government of Zimbabwe,” said Mr Jarabini.

He said Gwisai failed to defend himself while testifying, putting the blame on his memory saying that he could not recall some of the things he said in the meeting.

The magistrate further said the six accused persons could not deny what the second State witness, Detective Sergeant Jonathan Shoko, told the court since he was part of the meeting and heard all what they said.

The offence was committed on February 19 last year at Zimbabwe Labour Centre, at Number 43 Julius Nyerere Way in Harare.

Gwisai, a co-ordinator of the International Socialist Organisation and five others agreed to forcibly and to a serious extent disturb peace, security or order of the public in Zimbabwe.

They agreed to mobilise the people of Zimbabwe to revolt against the Government and demand the resignation of President Mugabe the same way some Egyptians had done to their leader Hosni Mubarak.

The six were initially charged with treason, which carries the death penalty in Zimbabwe.

The charges were later reduced, but the activists could still face sentences of up to 10 years in jail.



Breaking News National Antoneta Choto, Arab Spring, Edson Chakuma, Hopewell Gumbo, International Socialist Organisation, Munyaradzi Gwisai, Tatenda Mombeyarara, Welcome Zimuto
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Labels: EGYPT, MUNYARADZI GWISAI, TREASON

posted by MrK @ 5:50 PM