Zimbabwe frees 38 held in anti-Mugabe protest plot
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe gestures as he leaves a rally in the capital Harare March 2, 2011.
Credit: Reuters/Philimon Bulawayo
By Cris Chinaka HARARE | Mon Mar 7, 2011 9:13am EST
By Cris Chinaka HARARE (Reuters) - A Zimbabwe court on Monday freed 38 political activists detained for weeks on charges of plotting protests against veteran President Robert Mugabe similar to those that toppled long-serving leaders in Egypt and Tunisia.
Police arrested 46 people in the capital Harare on February 19 as they watched videos of protests in the North Africa states and discussed possible demonstrations in Zimbabwe, where Mugabe, 87, has held power for 31 years.
Defense lawyer Alec Muchadehama said state prosecutors had agreed to free a majority of the accused activists, who faced treason charges and possible execution if convicted.
"Out of the 46 who were in custody, 38 have been released completely after the state agreed with us that they had no case to answer," he told reporters.
Muchadehama said the remaining eight -- including Munyaradzi Gwisai who heads a small but radical pressure group called the International Socialist Organization -- would be back in court for a remand hearing session on March 21.
They had all pleaded not guilty.
Full Story: