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ZPP welcomes Bennett acquittal
Zimbabwe Peace Project
May 11, 2010

The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) welcomes the acquittal on Monday of Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) Treasurer-General Roy Bennett who has been on trial for treason in the High Court since last year.
From the onset, ZPP had always advocated for Bennett to get a fair trial.

High Court Judge Justice Chinembiri Bhunu's findings that the State had failed to prove its case against Bennett vindicates the position that the charges were trumped up and could not pass in any competent court manned by fair minded persons.

The Judge's subsequent ruling to acquit Bennett should be welcomed by every peace loving Zimbabwean and the world at large.

The charges against Bennett had been a major source of disagreement between Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe and now ZPP hopes that the acquittal will ease tensions in the country's inclusive government by swearing him in as the Deputy Minister of Agriculture.

However, ZPP strongly feels that the MDC-T official should not have been subjected to such a long and tiring trial on a case that has been based on unsubstantiated claims from the State actors.

Bennett was arrested just a few days before the inclusive government came into effect on charges of banditry, sabotage and terrorism and has been on trial since October last year.

ZPP is a human rights organisation, which monitors and documents breaches of peace in Zimbabwe. The organisation aims to help resolve politically related conflicts, and to identify victims and perpetrators of such conflicts with a view of promoting lasting peaceful co-existence within communities.

Visit the ZPP fact sheet

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