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Students' trial further postponed
Students Solidarity Trust
May 18, 2010

The trial of 26 students, 23 from the Bindura University of Science education was postponed to Friday, May 28 pending a high court appeal by the students' defence lawyer David Hofisi from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights [ZLHR] . The other 3 are Grant Tabvurei, ZINASU national spokesperson, Joshua Chinyere, ZINASU Secretary General and Wisdom Mgagara, a member of the ZINASU coordinating committee.

The case emanates from a meeting held in Bindura where the state accuses the 26 students of holding an unlawful meeting with the intention of causing public violence. The students' position is that the state has falsified information; they had organized a meeting to discuss the minister of higher education Stan Mudege's position that all students should be allowed to write exams and pay tuition later. Upon refusal of some students to write exams in the first semester of 2010 by university authorities the students held a meeting to negotiate the way forward. Joshua Chinyere of ZINASU stated after the judgment that "We are very worried in the manner that the state deals with the student issues. In the charge they claim that it was an unlawful gathering, the state argues that the students had gathered to discuss the ministers position on the exam situation and incite public violence. This makes the position of the state contradictory." The students believe that the state is trying to control the students struggle by controlling and blocking the dissemination of information. The minister had circulated a memo indicating that all students should be allowed to write exams which is what the meeting was about.

The students, through their defence lawyer, dispute the charge and sort leave to appeal to the high court and have the charges dropped. After initially resisting the defence's request, the Magistrate finally agreed. The trial has been postponed several times due to the unclear charges levelled against the students and the acquiescence of the judiciary, a sign that students are still being persecuted and not free to exercise their right to freedom of association and assembly. This then raises great concern over the civil liberties of the students in expressing their views and concerns.

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