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Treason charges against Munyaradzi Gwisai & others - Index of articles
Magistrate
orders examination and treatment of detainees pending determination
on remand proceedings
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)
March 01, 2011
Harare Magistrate Munamato Mutevedzi on Tuesday 1 March 2011 ordered
prison authorities to allow private medical practitioners to examine
and treat 45 social and human rights activists who were subjected
to torture while in police custody and those whose health has been
compromised as a result of disruption to the administration of their
medication.
Magistrate Mutevedzi
ordered prison authorities to allow the detainees to be attended
to by doctors of their own choice after the prison doctor refused
to examine and treat detainees as had been ordered by the Court.
The Magistrate
said this should be done in conformity with prison regulations and
the examination and treatment should be conducted at the Zimbabwe
Prison Service (ZPS) institutions.
The order came
after defence lawyer Alec Muchadehama advised the court that his
clients were only attended to by a nurse instead of doctors as had
been ordered by the court on Thursday 24 February 2011
Muchadehama
protested that his clients were denied medical examination and treatment
as had been ordered when the detainees last appeared in court last
week and his clients had been exposed to life-threatening conditions
as a result.
The human rights
lawyer had requested that his clients be attended to by doctors
of their own choice at private medical institutions or at a government
hospital such as Parirenyatwa Hospital.
But Magistrate
Mutevedzi ordered prison officials to allow the detainees to be
attended to by doctors of their choice in compliance with prison
regulations.
The Magistrate
deferred his ruling on an application for refusal of placement on
remand for the 45 human rights activists which was filed on Thursday
24 February 2011 and which was opposed by the State, represented
by Edmore Nyazamba and Dumisani Mthombeni.
Magistrate Mutevedzi
said he will deliver his ruling on Monday 7 March 2011 because he
will not be available in court from Wednesday 2 March 2011 up to
Friday 4 March 2011, as he would be attending to some prior commitments.
Muchadehama
led evidence from two witnesses Antonater Choto and Masline Zvomuya,
who both denied plotting to subvert the government or committing
treason as alleged by the State.
Zvomuya stated
that she was not part of the people who were attending the International
Socialist Organisation (ISO) meeting but was arrested while
retailing mobile phone handsets and airtime in her office which
is located at Cross Roads building from where the social and human
rights activists were arrested while attending a lecture.
Visit the ZLHR
fact
sheet
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