News / National
Gwisai's trial postponed!
20 Dec 2011 at 07:36hrs | Views
The trail for FORMER Highfield MP Munyaradzi Gwisai and and five other social, economic justice and human rights activists was on Monday postponed after the court said it was busy with another matter, the Daily News reported.
The six were initially facing treason charges before the state later settled for a lesser charge of conniving to incite public violence.
They will be back in court on January 9 next year.
Prosecutor Edmore Nyazamba alleges the group used Egyptian and Tunisian revolution video footages showing how leaders in the two countries were removed from power, to mobilise the people to revolt against the government.
Prosecutor Nyazamba alleges the six convened a meeting at Zimbabwe Labour Centre in Harare, where they connived to disturb peace in the country on February 19 this year.
Two witnesses, Rinos Chari and Jonathan Shoko have so far testified in the case.
The trial of the six began on September 14 after being postponed on numerous occasions for various reasons.
Chari told the court that he was severely assaulted by police as an accomplice before he was turned into a witness, while Shoko who claims to be an undercover police officer told the court he was part of a meeting leading to the activists' arrest.
The activists' lawyer Alec Muchadehama has since unmasked Shoko whom he claims is a Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operative who has disguised his real identity to the court. Muchadehama told the court that Shoko's real name was Rodwell Chitiyo. He told the court that Shoko is known with 13 different names.
"You are known in 13 different relations and this is typical CIO," Muchadehama said.
On November 7, during cross examination, Muchadehama produced photographs showing Shoko's resemblance since the time he was in High School at St Faith's Mission in Rusape and an extraction of his Facebook picture. Shoko denied attending St Faith's Mission and knowledge of the person who was on the pictures. Despite his identity denials, Muchadehama did not stop with his battle to prove that Shoko was not the witness' name and that he was not a police officer but instead a CIO "operative".
He went on to produce copies of Chitiyo's identity card, passport and birth certificate. When the matter continues next year, Muchadehama will continue cross-examining Shoko.
The six were initially facing treason charges before the state later settled for a lesser charge of conniving to incite public violence.
They will be back in court on January 9 next year.
Prosecutor Edmore Nyazamba alleges the group used Egyptian and Tunisian revolution video footages showing how leaders in the two countries were removed from power, to mobilise the people to revolt against the government.
Prosecutor Nyazamba alleges the six convened a meeting at Zimbabwe Labour Centre in Harare, where they connived to disturb peace in the country on February 19 this year.
Two witnesses, Rinos Chari and Jonathan Shoko have so far testified in the case.
The trial of the six began on September 14 after being postponed on numerous occasions for various reasons.
Chari told the court that he was severely assaulted by police as an accomplice before he was turned into a witness, while Shoko who claims to be an undercover police officer told the court he was part of a meeting leading to the activists' arrest.
The activists' lawyer Alec Muchadehama has since unmasked Shoko whom he claims is a Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operative who has disguised his real identity to the court. Muchadehama told the court that Shoko's real name was Rodwell Chitiyo. He told the court that Shoko is known with 13 different names.
"You are known in 13 different relations and this is typical CIO," Muchadehama said.
On November 7, during cross examination, Muchadehama produced photographs showing Shoko's resemblance since the time he was in High School at St Faith's Mission in Rusape and an extraction of his Facebook picture. Shoko denied attending St Faith's Mission and knowledge of the person who was on the pictures. Despite his identity denials, Muchadehama did not stop with his battle to prove that Shoko was not the witness' name and that he was not a police officer but instead a CIO "operative".
He went on to produce copies of Chitiyo's identity card, passport and birth certificate. When the matter continues next year, Muchadehama will continue cross-examining Shoko.
Source - Daily News
