A judge has ordered Zimbabwean rights activist Jestina Mukoko and 14 others freed on bail, reversing her decision of a day earlier that sparked outrage among rights activists and politicians in this country and abroad.
Harare Magistrate Catherine Chimanda gave no reason for her retreat, issued at a hastily called court hearing on Wednesday. She refused, though, to free three other suspects she had ordered returned to prison on Tuesday, saying their case was more serious because they were allegedly found in possession of explosives.
The group faces charges stemming from an alleged plot to overthrow Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. Neighbouring governments have said they believe the allegations are baseless.
Chimanda’s decision on Tuesday to revoke the bail of the activists after prosecutors formally charged them in a terrorism case sparked outrage.
Amnesty International condemned the detention of the 18 activists as political and said their plight cast a ”dark shadow” over the country’s unity government.
”The trial of these human rights activists has all the hallmarks of a political trial,” said Veronique Aubert, deputy director of the London-based rights organisation’s Africa programme.
”The charges appear to be similar to the charges used during the 2002 treason trial of Morgan Tsvangirai, now prime minister.”
Amnesty said it considered the 18 to be ”potential prisoners of conscience”, and called for their immediate and unconditional release, or for them to receive a prompt and fair trial.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Tuesday: ”The new government in Zimbabwe has made some notable progress since its inception in February.
”This makes news of the return to custody of 18 high-profile political detainees all the more disappointing.”
Miliband reiterated that the release of all political detainees was ”one of the principle conditions for full international re-engagement with Zimbabwe”.
Tsvangirai, who joined longtime rival Mugabe in a unity government in February, had called for the release of Mukoko and other detainees to show Mugabe’s commitment to the coalition. Mugabe has argued such matters should be left to the courts.
In a statement on Tuesday, Tsvangirai’s party said the ruling sending the suspects back to prison would undermine international confidence in Zimbabwe.
”[The ruling] seriously threatens not only the life and health of the inclusive government, but its longevity and durability,” it said in a statement.
While visiting South Africa, longtime Mugabe aide Kembo Mohadi declared at a news conference on Monday that ”there are no political prisoners in Zimbabwe”.
Tsvangirai aide Giles Mutsekwa, appearing at the same news conference, disagreed, saying party leaders were still negotiating on how to address the issue of political prisoners.
Mohadi and Mutsekwa are co-ministers of Home Affairs in Zimbabwe’s unity government. Both parties have insisted on control of the key ministry, which also oversees the police, who have been accused of attacking Mugabe’s opponents.
The coalition government has been ensnared in disputes over power sharing that have slowed political and economic reform and done little to reassure international donors.
Zimbabwe, a former African breadbasket, has plunged into economic chaos in the past nine years under Mugabe’s rule. It has the highest inflation rate in the world, its health and sanitation systems have collapsed, and millions live in poverty amid a chronic shortage of food and basic goods. — Sapa-AP