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This article participates on the following special index pages:
Index of articles on enforced disappearances in Zimbabwe
Lawyers
expose names of abductors in court
Lance
Guma, SW Radio Africa
January 08, 2009
http://www.swradioafrica.com/news080109/lawyers080109.htm
With an increasingly
laughable judicial system conniving to illegally detain abducted
activists, defence lawyers and rights groups are using name and
shame tactics to apply pressure for their release. This week lawyer
Alec Muchadehama, who is representing 7 MDC activists charged with
plotting to overthrow Mugabe's regime, named several state
agents who abducted his clients. Identified mostly by their last
names the abductors include a Maganga, Marasike Chitate alias Chigure,
Mhlanga, and Ndambakuwa from the Central Intelligence Organisation.
According to a Zimonline
article, those drawn from the police force were a police Superintendent
Tendere, Chief Superintendent Chrispen Makedenge, Detective Muuya,
Detective Inspector Elliot Muchada, Chief Superintendent Magwenzi,
Detective Assistant Inspector Namupachira, Detective Inspector Mpofu
and another police officer identified only as Chitambo. One officer
from the military intelligence directorate identified as Matambanadzo,
alias Aunty Daisy, was also implicated in the abductions.
State security minister
Didymus Mutasa admitted in court papers that he sanctioned the abductions.
When defence lawyers argued that their clients were illegally kidnapped
and the perpetrators needed to be brought to court, Mutasa refused
to disclose their identities claiming it was a sensitive national
security matter. Muchadehama has promised to disclose more names
of people implicated in the abductions and added that some of them
actually stole cellphones, fuel coupons and foreign currency belonging
to his clients and these have yet to be recovered.
Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Human Rights meanwhile is compiling daily updates
showing the timeline of events and exposing how judges and state
prosecutors alike are conniving to prolong the illegal detentions.
This week lawyers sought to have Michael Mugabe, a law officer in
the Attorney General's Office, recuse himself from the case
involving Harrison Nkomo. Mugabe is a complainant in a separate
case that involves Nkomo and this they say posed the risk of conflict
of interest. The magistrate ignored the obvious facts and dismissed
the application saying it should have been made at the beginning
of the case.
Another example highlighted is how lawyers between the 26th and
27th December last year went to various police stations in attempts
to access their clients. They were told that a directive had been
issued that abductees were not allowed any food or visits whatsoever
from lawyers or relatives. In an earlier example the police refused
to comply with the High Court issued by Justice Yunus Omerjee, to
urgently take the activists to the Avenues Clinic, and for them
to release activists Pascal Gonzo and Tawanda Bvumo.
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