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This article participates on the following special index pages:
Index of articles on enforced disappearances in Zimbabwe
MDC
abductees' case postponed to 22 June
Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC)
June 10,
2009
High Court Judge, Justice
Tendai Uchena today postponed to June 22 the application by four
MDC abductees who are seeking a referral of their case to the Supreme
Court as they are contesting that their constitutional rights were
violated when they were abducted by State security agents last year.
Today, Justice Uchena
has had to postpone his judgement for the third time as the State
is contesting the referral of the case to the Supreme Court.
The four MDC activists,
Concillia Chinanzvavana, the MDC Mashonaland West province Women
Assembly chairperson, 72-year old Fidelis Chiramba, Zvimba South
district chairperson, Violet Mupfuranhewe, district Women's
Assembly secretary and Collen Mutemagawu, district youth chairperson
are facing trumped-up charges of banditry.
They were abducted together
with over 40 MDC activists between October and December and had
to spend weeks in illegal detention before they were brought to
court on 24 December.
The trial of the four
started on Monday and the MDC lawyers filed a petition to refer
the case to the Constitutional Court because the rights of the accused
were violated. The lawyers also wanted the Constitutional Court
to determine whether or not the abductees' abduction constituted
lawful deprivation of liberty.
On Tuesday the State
argued that the submissions by the defence lawyers were "frivolous
and the lawyers were playing with the court's time."
The MDC lawyers also
want the Supreme Court to determine whether or not the abductees
can be compelled to go on trial in circumstances where their appearance
at court was facilitated by a criminal act of kidnapping or abduction
sanctioned by the State.
Two other groups of MDC
and civic society abductees are expected to appear before the High
Court later this month.
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