| |
Back to Index
Urgent
High Court application for the release of the detained SCMZ UZ leadership
Student
Christian Movement of Zimbabwe (SCMZ)
May 15, 2007
Prosper Munatsi;
Student Christian Movement of Zimbabwe (SCMZ) University
of Zimbabwe Branch Secretary-General and SCMZ UZ branch member,
Munyaradzi Chikorohondo filed an urgent high court application today
for their release. The two who were arrested on the 11th of May
2007, for defending academic freedoms, are still in police custody
at the filthy Harare Central Police Cells and are being denied medical
attention after sustained serious injuries after undergoing torture
in the hands of both the UZ security and Police. The high court
ordered the state to ensure the two to appear in a competent court
within the next 24 hours, failure of which the two should be released.
The order came after the police produced a bogus warrant of detention
which had two different date stamps. Initially in the morning the
state prosecutor at Rotten Row Magistrate court refused to prosecute
citing that the duo's case falls under UZ Ordinance 30 not
the Public
Order and Security Act (POSA) as the Police had charged. The
application has been made through lawyers, Beatrice Mtetwa and Harrison
Nkomo of the Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Human Rights. The lawyers are arguing that the time
for the duo to appear in court is long overdue and that there are
no clear charges that are being leveled against them. Under Zimbabwean
law, a person should appear in court within forty eight hours of
arrest. It has been more than hundred hours since the two human
rights activists were arrested. The matter is scheduled for hearing
in the High Court today at 1500hrs.
SCMZ firmly believes in the concept of justice delayed is justice
denied and therefore unreservedly condemns this deliberate ploy
to frustrate justice. As such SCMZ condemns the continued illegal
detention of these not only poor, but innocent students. It is SCMZ's
strong position that students should be accorded their right to
association and expression. All students should continue with the
fight to defend and safeguard academic freedoms.
"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice,
but when the wicked rule the people groan." Prov 29 v 2
Visit the SCMZ
fact
sheet
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|
