News / National
Impose maximum 10 year jail sentence on the 6 activists court told
20 Mar 2012 at 23:09hrs | Views
PROSECUTOR Edmore Nyazamba asked magistrate Kudakwashe Jarabini on Tuesday to impose the maximum 10-year jail sentence on six men convicted of conspiring to incite public violence. The accused person's lawyer Alec Muchadehama pleaded with the magistrate to impose fines on the group.
The prosecutor insisted that letting off the six accused persons with a fine or any other light sentence would be a mistake because "they will repeat the same offence and fine-tune the plan until their motive of toppling the government is fulfilled."
The group will be sentenced tomorrow at 2.15PM.
The six â€" who were arrested in February last year during a meeting at which they watched video footage of mass uprisings in Egypt that toppled the North African country's longtime ruler â€" were in court on Tuesday for a sentencing hearing.
Nyazamba had earlier told the court that the six would have faced death by stoning during ancient times.
Citing from the Bible, Nyazamba said those who disobeyed prophet Moses face the most severe punishment.
Nyazamba went further, telling the magistrate that opposing existing authority was against God's decrees.
Arguing for a lenient sentence, Muchadehama asked the magistrate to consider the social standing of the six who were "all learned people pursuing a bright future."
Muchadehama said the amount of torture and mental anguish that the group suffered was "enough punishment."
In his ruling yesterday, Jarabini said that watching a video was not a crime, but the "manner and motive" of the February 2011 meeting â€" attended by 45 people â€" showed bad intent.
Gwisai, the outspoken radical leader of an International Socialist Organisation in Zimbabwe, told reporters he was not surprised by the verdict.
"It won't intimidate us. It will not deter us. I have no regrets. It's a staple of what's happening in Africa," he said.
University lecturer Munyaradzi Gwisai and rights activists Antonater Choto, 36, Tatenda Mombeyarara, 29, Edson Chakuma, 38, Hopewell Gumbo, 32, and Welcome Zimuto, 25, were convicted on Monday.
The prosecutor insisted that letting off the six accused persons with a fine or any other light sentence would be a mistake because "they will repeat the same offence and fine-tune the plan until their motive of toppling the government is fulfilled."
The group will be sentenced tomorrow at 2.15PM.
The six â€" who were arrested in February last year during a meeting at which they watched video footage of mass uprisings in Egypt that toppled the North African country's longtime ruler â€" were in court on Tuesday for a sentencing hearing.
Nyazamba had earlier told the court that the six would have faced death by stoning during ancient times.
Citing from the Bible, Nyazamba said those who disobeyed prophet Moses face the most severe punishment.
Nyazamba went further, telling the magistrate that opposing existing authority was against God's decrees.
Arguing for a lenient sentence, Muchadehama asked the magistrate to consider the social standing of the six who were "all learned people pursuing a bright future."
Muchadehama said the amount of torture and mental anguish that the group suffered was "enough punishment."
In his ruling yesterday, Jarabini said that watching a video was not a crime, but the "manner and motive" of the February 2011 meeting â€" attended by 45 people â€" showed bad intent.
Gwisai, the outspoken radical leader of an International Socialist Organisation in Zimbabwe, told reporters he was not surprised by the verdict.
"It won't intimidate us. It will not deter us. I have no regrets. It's a staple of what's happening in Africa," he said.
University lecturer Munyaradzi Gwisai and rights activists Antonater Choto, 36, Tatenda Mombeyarara, 29, Edson Chakuma, 38, Hopewell Gumbo, 32, and Welcome Zimuto, 25, were convicted on Monday.
Source - news
