Twenty-eight Zimbabwean activists were charged on Monday over post-election violence as Britain condemned a ballot recount as an attempt by President Robert Mugabe to “steal” the vote.
The hearing at the Harare Magistrates’ Court came as Mugabe’s government rejected allegations that it was arming groups of vigilantes and accused the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) of putting out “lies.”
Lawyers for pro-opposition activists told the court that some of the defendants, who included women as well as men, had been beaten by soldiers and police in order to extract confessions.
The charges were for public-order offences in connection with a general strike called last week by the MDC in a bid to force the government to release the results of the March 29 presidential election.
“We had 28 who appeared in court and were charged today [Monday]. More are coming tomorrow,” said Alec Muchadehama, a lawyer for the activists.
The defendants all pleaded not guilty and were to apply for bail on Tuesday.
“There is no connection between the accused and the alleged offences,” Muchadehama said.
The MDC, which says 10 of its followers have been killed by pro-government militias since the elections, has accused the authorities of double standards for only prosecuting opposition supporters.
Tensions have risen in Zimbabwe since the MDC won control of Parliament in the elections and said that its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, beat 84-year-old Mugabe in the presidential vote held on the same day. — AFP