Zimbabwe on Tuesday postponed for the second time the trial of 31 trade union members accused of holding an illegal protest to allow the state to furnish more details of the charges to defence lawyers.
The lawyer for the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) also complained that police were yet to investigate several officers on charges of severely assaulting union members after the September 13 protest.
Lawyers for the ZCTU say police assaulted about a dozen unionists, including several top leaders, following a protest against poor wages and lack of access to HIV/Aids drugs that was quashed by police.
”The particulars we are requesting are material to the accused persons’ defence … the facts presented by the state were extremely inadequate,” defence lawyer Alec Muchadehama said.
A Harare magistrate postponed the trial to October 30, but prosecutors said the court should not permit further delays. It had earlier been postponed on October 3.
Part of the state’s case says the unionists were ”carrying placards and shouting political slogans” while ridiculing President Robert Mugabe and members of the army and police, a contravention of Zimbabwe’s strict security laws.
”The accused persons’ conduct disturbed the normal peace of the public and the free flow of motorists along the roads they were moving,” prosecutors said.
Police have denied the assault charges and say the unionists were in some cases ”heavily resisting arrest”, prompting the police to apply ”minimum force to calm the situation”.
The international community has expressed dismay over statements by Zimbabwe leaders, including Mugabe, for apparently condoning the reported assaults.
Mugabe accuses the ZCTU of working with the main opposition party, but the labour body says it is fighting for workers, hit by an economic recession seen in the world’s highest inflation rate and chronic shortages of foreign currency, fuel and food.
In an interview with the Associated Press recently, Mugabe said the whole saga had been due to ”overzealousness of one or two police exaggerating their role”. – Sapa-AFP