Harare - A Zimbabwe
court on Tuesday dropped charges against a leading human rights lawyer who had
faced trial for obstructing police, after state prosecutors failed to present
evidence to support their case.
Beatrice Mtetwa, who has won
international awards for her defence of journalists and opposition politicians,
was arrested in March after police officers said she called them President Robert Mugabe's
"dogs" and took photographs of them during a search at the home of
her client, a member of the opposition.
Mtetwa was arrested a
day after Zimbabweans voted to adopt a new constitution that reduced
presidential powers. She had argued that she was being persecuted for
representing those who have spoken out against 89-year-old Mugabe, who has
ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980.
Mtetwa, who had been
out on bail, had asked the Harare Magistrate's Court to dismiss the case.
"There is no
evidence that the accused disturbed the police, she is therefore
discharged," Magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa ruled on Tuesday.
Mugabe overwhelmingly won a 31 July
election extending his 33-year rule. His main rival,Morgan
Tsvangirai, denounced the poll as a "huge fraud", but
African observers broadly endorsed the vote as free and orderly.
- Reuters
No comments:
Post a Comment