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This article participates on the following special index pages:
Marange, Chiadzwa and other diamond fields and the Kimberley Process - Index of articles
Victory
for Maguwu as state actors ordered to return property
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)
September 12, 2011
High Court Judge,
Justice Samuel Kudya, on Monday 12 September 2011 ordered State
security agents to return all the property they unlawfully seized
from prominent diamond rights campaigner, Farai
Maguwu, and stop harassing him by restricting his movement.
Justice Kudya,
who heard an Urgent
Chamber Application filed by Maguwu's lawyer, Denford
Halimani in his chambers on Monday, granted an order sought by the
lawyer compelling State security agents to immediately return the
diamond
rights researcher's property which they seized at the
Harare International Airport on Saturday 10 September 2011.
The property
includes an Hp 625 laptop, power pack, wallet, Olympus digital camera,
US$2 000, business cards and bank cards, personal notebooks, airline
boarding passes, travel insurance, accommodation bookings, laptop
bag and all its contents.
The High Court
Judge also ordered the State security agents to desist and stop
interfering with Maguwu's freedom of movement, association,
right to property and protection of the law.
The order was
granted against the Minister of State Security in the President's
Office, which overseas the operations of State security agents,
the co-Ministers of Home Affairs, the Chief Immigration Officer,
the Minister of Transport, Communication and Infrastructure Development,
who were all represented by Mr Dodo of the Attorney's General's
Civil Division. The Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe was represented
by lawyers from Chirimuuta and Partners Legal Practitioners.
Prior to granting
the order, Justice Kudya dismissed a request by Mr Dodo who sought
a postponement of the hearing on the basis that officials from the
President's Office wanted to check on the identities of the
State security agents involved.
The High Court
order came after Halimani of Wintertons Legal Practitioners, who
is a member of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, filed an Urgent
Chamber Application on Sunday 11 September 2011 seeking an order
compelling the State security agents to return the items seized
from Maguwu.
The State security
agents harassed and prevented Maguwu from attending an international
conference in Ireland focusing on rights violations which runs from
14 to 16 September 2011.
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fact
sheet
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