KEY POINTS
- Activists acquitted in Zimbabwe trial after year-long case.
- Court found state failed to prove protest charges.
- Rights groups further welcomed verdict as rare legal win.
Nine human rights activists in Harare have been found not guilty of disorderly behavior, ending a case that rights organizations called an attempt to stifle dissent.
The verdict culminates a year-long trial that brought criticism from around the world for how Zimbabwe’s civil society was treated.
Robson Chere, Namatai Kwekweza, and Samuel Gwenzi were all well-known campaigners who were pulled off a plane at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport last year in a dramatic event that showed how heavy-handed the government was.
Activists are found not guilty of unruly conduct.
Furthermore the three said they were questioned and tortured for hours, and Chere got life-threatening injuries after being beaten badly. Their story became a symbol of the risks that rights campaigners in Zimbabwe confront.
Activists also found not guilty in Zimbabwe trial
On June 27, 2024, prosecutors said the organization organized an illegal rally outside the Harare Magistrates Court in favor of more than 70 Citizens Coalition for Change supporters who were facing charges that day. The magistrate, on the other hand, said that the state had not proven its case, which resulted to the acquittal.
Rights groups praise activists who were found not guilty in Zimbabwe trial
International observers and rights groups were happy with the verdict because it was a rare judicial victory for campaigners. They also pointed out that most of these cases take years to resolve. They said the acquittal demonstrated that the state’s case fell apart when it was looked at closely.
