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Three students appear in court for watching war video clip
Students Solidarity Trust
April 06, 2011

In yet another case of unrelenting and targeted abuse against human rights activists and the general public by state security agents, three Masvingo Polytechnic students briefly appeared at the Masvingo Magistrate Court on the 7th of March facing charges of undermining or insulting the office of the president. The students were found at campus in possession of and watching an alleged subversive two hour long video clip depicting President Mugabe being shot at by the military in a war-like simulation. They were arrested for contravening Section 33 of Subsection 2 Paragraph A provison 1 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act 9:23. If convicted the students are facing a fine not exceeding level 6 or imprisonment not exceeding 1 year or both.

Third year student Monalisa Katsaruware studying National Diploma in Computer Systems, Disire Chikwanda second year student studying towards a National Diploma in Power Engineering and Nyasha Chaminuka had their trial postponed while out of police custody to 11th May 2011 due to the ongoing country wide industrial action by Zimbabwe magistrates. The students' lawyer from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights Collen Maboke of Mwonzora and Associates said that the students complained of not being informed of their charge at the time of arrest by Detective Tapiwa David Madziwa of Law and Order Masvingo. The students are said to have complained of alleged ill-treatment and assault during the two days while in police custody.

Alick Tabe, a student at Masvingo Polytechnic said the three were unfortunate to be arrested as they are not the only ones who have watched the video clip as it is being extensively circulated through USB drives, digital memory cards, and external hard drives and on social network sites. Tabe added that the arrest of the three has aroused interest on the video clip amongst the student community nationwide.

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