News / National
BREAKING: MDC leader charged with treason
29 Jan 2019 at 11:18hrs | Views
Opposition Movement for Democratic Change Organising Secretary Amos Chibaya was on Tuesday charged with plotting to subvert a constitutional elected government.
He was re-detained shortly his before release after the High Court had ordered his release on Tuesday.
Chibaya joins the growing list of activists who have been slapped with this charge over the past two weeks.
He is being charged under s22 of the Criminal Law Act. If found guilty he faces up to twenty years in prison without the option of a fine.
Meanwhile the MDC Secretary for Justice and Legal Affairs Innocent Gonese has slammed government fro gross abuse of rule of law.
"The MDC is deeply alarmed and perturbed by the level to which the Rule of Law has been trampled upon by the Executive the Army, Police, the National Prosecuting Authority and some elements of the Judiciary." Said Gonese.
"To say that the Rule of Law has been thrown into the dustbin is an understatement. I never thought that I would ever live long enough to witness levels of such depravity, cruelty, callousness and downright disdain and contempt of the right of the citizens as enshrined in our Constitution and our statutes. While our country has had a history of serious violations of human rights starting from the years of colonial rule and repression and the epochs of gukurahundi, murambatsvina and the dark days of June 2008, the people thought that we had turned a corner in November 2017 with the demise of the former strongman Robert Mugabe.
"Sadly it has turned to be a false dawn. The actors may have changed with the removal of Robert Mugabe and some of his henchmen, but the script has remained the same if not worse. Mugabeism the system is with us and recent events are frightening to say the least. Zimbabweans yearn for a truly new order where the right of the individual, constitutionalism, the rule of law and justice are at the cornerstone of a New Zimbabwe. What has happened over the last few weeks is a negation of what our liberation fighters fought for and is a return to the dark ages. For starters the involvement of the army is on its own problematic and the situation is worsened by the reports and scenes of brutality which are there for all to see. The victimization, sexual abuse and rape of women is inexcusable."
Gonese blasted the justice system for imprisoning juveniles over false allegations.
"Another disturbing aspect has been the arrest of juveniles and there are reports that some charges have been falsified. Our law gives adequate protection to such vulnerable groups but sadly this has been ignored for the expediency of maintaining the façade. The other bad phenomenon is the mass trials where large groups of fifties or sixties are being tried together in circumstances where it is evident that this could not have been properly witnesses and again it is done for purposes which are clearly at variance with real and substantial justice.
"The element of fast tracking of trials is also manifesting itself in unholy and ungodly hours during which some of the proceedings have been held. Lawyers have indicated that some trials have commenced after 5pm and gone well into the night with inadequately prepared lawyers who could not abandon their clients. But in some instances, the lawyers have found themselves in the invidious position that they could not proceed."
He was re-detained shortly his before release after the High Court had ordered his release on Tuesday.
Chibaya joins the growing list of activists who have been slapped with this charge over the past two weeks.
He is being charged under s22 of the Criminal Law Act. If found guilty he faces up to twenty years in prison without the option of a fine.
Meanwhile the MDC Secretary for Justice and Legal Affairs Innocent Gonese has slammed government fro gross abuse of rule of law.
"The MDC is deeply alarmed and perturbed by the level to which the Rule of Law has been trampled upon by the Executive the Army, Police, the National Prosecuting Authority and some elements of the Judiciary." Said Gonese.
"Sadly it has turned to be a false dawn. The actors may have changed with the removal of Robert Mugabe and some of his henchmen, but the script has remained the same if not worse. Mugabeism the system is with us and recent events are frightening to say the least. Zimbabweans yearn for a truly new order where the right of the individual, constitutionalism, the rule of law and justice are at the cornerstone of a New Zimbabwe. What has happened over the last few weeks is a negation of what our liberation fighters fought for and is a return to the dark ages. For starters the involvement of the army is on its own problematic and the situation is worsened by the reports and scenes of brutality which are there for all to see. The victimization, sexual abuse and rape of women is inexcusable."
Gonese blasted the justice system for imprisoning juveniles over false allegations.
"Another disturbing aspect has been the arrest of juveniles and there are reports that some charges have been falsified. Our law gives adequate protection to such vulnerable groups but sadly this has been ignored for the expediency of maintaining the façade. The other bad phenomenon is the mass trials where large groups of fifties or sixties are being tried together in circumstances where it is evident that this could not have been properly witnesses and again it is done for purposes which are clearly at variance with real and substantial justice.
"The element of fast tracking of trials is also manifesting itself in unholy and ungodly hours during which some of the proceedings have been held. Lawyers have indicated that some trials have commenced after 5pm and gone well into the night with inadequately prepared lawyers who could not abandon their clients. But in some instances, the lawyers have found themselves in the invidious position that they could not proceed."
Source - Byo24News
