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ZimRights 'Reflections' trial postponed indefinitely
Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights)
August 04, 2011

The trial for ZimRights' impounded pictures, (Reflections) which was set for today the 4th August at the Masvingo Magistrates Court has been postponed indefinitely. Lawyer, Blessing Nyamaropa of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) revealed that this was due to the state's unpreparedness, and the absence of the witnesses according to the court.

State witnesses failed to appear in court despite the court's 18th July assurance that the trial will definitely proceed today. It is now over a year since the impounding of the pictures in April 2010; with the matter hanging and postponed on several occasions for various reasons. The trend has led to lawyers in July advising the court to drop the charges if the trial fails to resume today citing that, "what is happening is more like an acknowledgement that the state has no case."

In the state outline, Mr Hita (the accused) and ZimRights (the co-accused) are facing charges of convening an unlawful gathering breaching the Public Order and Security Act. However the continued deferment of the matter has had adverse impact to ZimRights. It has affected the organisation's flow of the programmes while also suffering prejudice both in terms of time and the resources that the organisation mobilises in order to attend court hearings. ZimRights therefore confers its great disappointment and condemnation of the poor justice delivery system in Zimbabwe. Justice delayed is Justice denied!

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