State Drops Treason Charges Against Activists

SW Radio Africa (London)

Tichaona Sibanda

31 May 2011

The state has dropped treason charges against Munyaradzi Gwisai and five, other activists who were arrested in February while attending a video screening about the people’s uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.

The six were part of a group of forty-five activists arrested on 19th February when police raided an academic meeting in Harare at which the video was shown.

The other 39 activists were freed after a magistrate in Harare dismissed the charges against them in March. They had spent more than two weeks in custody.

However, Gwisai, Hopewell Gumbo, Antonater Choto, Welcome Zimuto, Eddson Chakuma and Tatenda Mombeyarara were still facing treason charges until Monday. The state alleged that this group was either directly linked to the ‘illegal’ gathering or were speakers at the meeting.

During the raid police confiscated computers and other equipment and arrested everyone there. After their initial arrest, some in the group, including Gwisai and Gumbo were tortured in the cells and were kept in solitary confinement at the Chikurubi maximum security prison in Harare for weeks.

Conviction on a treason charge could have brought the death penalty against the six.

Hopewell Gumbo said although the treason charge has been dropped the state has altered the charge to that of ‘subverting a constitutional government’. The trial opens on the 18th July in Harare, before a regional magistrate. If convicted this new charge would carry a maximum of 20 years in jail without an option of a fine.

‘Without being prejudicial, we’ve always been convinced we did not commit treason or neither did we try to do so. We are eagerly waiting for the trial to start so that we can show the whole world that we are peace loving Zimbabweans using democratic means to fight for change and our rights,” Gumbo said.

The former student leader said the High court also relaxed part of their bail conditions when Judge Justice Kudya agreed to alter their reporting conditions. They will now be required to report to the police once a month instead of three days a week. The Judge however refused to release their passports.

‘It’s a great relief really because the relaxation of the bail conditions will give us more time to concentrate on our work to bring about democracy in Zimbabwe,’ Gumbo added.

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