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Zimbabwe court orders activist Mukoko back to prison

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] A court in Zimbabwe on Tuesday ordered back into custody 18 human rights activists, including activist and journalist Jestina Mukoko and freelance journalist Andrison Manyere. Mukoko is the director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), and Manyere is a former aid to Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. The indicted activists were accused of planning a coup against President Robert Mugabe, but were released on bail after three months of detention by presidential authorization. However, the court in Harare found that under the Zimbabwe Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act, the grant of bail is automatically reversed and the activists must remain in custody until their trial in June. Attorneys representing the accused argue the courts disregarded the previous bail agreement, and will petition the High Court for bail. The indictment highlights the tension between Mugabe and Tsvangirai and the human rights situation in Zimbabwe. Mukoko was held without charges from December through March and was allegedly subjected to torture. Mukoko was hospitalized for the treatment of injuries sustained during her detention and remained under medical care after her release from police custody. While in prison, it was reported that Mukoko was forced to ingest poison, an allegation that has sparked a world-wide protest against Zimbabwean police methods. During her detention, Mukoko was denied bail by Zimbabwean lower courts, but another court ruled that Mukoko could appeal her detention to the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe under the Zimbabwe Constitution.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on May 05, 2009 (boomark / email).