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Violence, recrimination and arrests after policeman's death in Glen View - Index of articles
Judge
grants bail to four tormented residents charged with cop murder
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)
July 08, 2011
High Court Judge
Justice Felistas Chatukuta on Friday 8 July 2011 granted bail to
Oddrey Sydney Chirombe, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
councillor for Harare City Council and three other party members
who had languished in remand prison since their arrest
last month for allegedly murdering a police officer, Inspector Petros
Mutedza.
Chirombe, Jepheas
Moyo, the MDC regalia shop manager, Abina Rutsito, who is employed
in the MDC security department and Tendai Maxwell Chinyama, the
MDC Kambuzuma District Organising Secretary were arrested last month
and charged with committing the crime of murder as defined in Section
47 of the Criminal
Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.
Justice Chatukuta
freed Chirombe, Moyo, Rutsito and Chinyama after their lawyers applied
for their release on bail pending trial.
In their bail
application, which was opposed by Edmore Nyazamba, a law officer
in the Attorney General's Officer, the lawyers, Tawanda Zhuwarara
and Jeremiah Bamu of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) argued
that their clients were victims of "profiling", a practice
that has been directly outlawed in certain jurisdictions and has
been frowned upon by implication in Zimbabwean courts.
The lawyers
argued that though on surface the allegations of murdering a police
officer seem serious and grave, a closer inspection reveals that
the charges are tenuous, improbable and incoherent.
Justice Chatukuta
ordered Chirombe, Moyo, Rutsito to pay bail of $100 each and to
continue residing at their given residential addresses and not to
interfere with State witnesses. Chinyama was asked to deposit $300
and to report three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday
to Marimba Police Station and to continue residing at his given
residential address and not to interfere with State witnesses.
Visit the ZLHR
fact
sheet
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