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Reprieve for 39 war vets accused of public violence
31 Aug 2024 at 11:07hrs | Views
The High Court has granted an application for review filed by 39 war veterans who were previously arrested for participating in an illegal gathering intended to promote public violence.
Initially, the Harare magistrate Barbara Mateko had dismissed their challenge to the charges, insisting they should face trial. The war veterans, part of the War Veterans Welfare Pressure Group, then sought a review of this decision by the High Court.
High Court judges, Justices Pisirayi Kwenda and Benjamin Chikowero, reviewed the case and granted the application, setting aside the criminal proceedings that had taken place under Magistrate Mateko.
The case is now remitted to the trial magistrate, starting from the point where the charges were first put to the veterans.
The war veterans were charged after allegedly gathering in Harare's Africa Unity Square in October 2021, in defiance of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, to protest their meager pension stipends of ZWL$16,000 per month. Despite police orders to disperse, they refused and sang revolutionary songs, leading to their arrest.
Initially, the Harare magistrate Barbara Mateko had dismissed their challenge to the charges, insisting they should face trial. The war veterans, part of the War Veterans Welfare Pressure Group, then sought a review of this decision by the High Court.
High Court judges, Justices Pisirayi Kwenda and Benjamin Chikowero, reviewed the case and granted the application, setting aside the criminal proceedings that had taken place under Magistrate Mateko.
The case is now remitted to the trial magistrate, starting from the point where the charges were first put to the veterans.
The war veterans were charged after allegedly gathering in Harare's Africa Unity Square in October 2021, in defiance of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, to protest their meager pension stipends of ZWL$16,000 per month. Despite police orders to disperse, they refused and sang revolutionary songs, leading to their arrest.
Source - newsday
