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Tsvangirai in court for inciting violence

[Zimbabwe] Morgan Tsvangirai, MDC Leader Obinna Anyadike/IRIN
Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on the basis of a video secretly filmed by Ari Ben-Menashe
    JOHANNESBURG

    Morgan Tsvangirai, the president of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), was on Thursday formally charged in a Harare magistrates court for his alleged call for President Mugabe's forceful removal from office, the independent 'Daily News' said on Friday.

    The report said that he was asked to pay 10,000 Zimbabwean dollars (US $181) bail and to appear in the High Court on 30 April for trial. The charge arose from a public statement allegedly made by Tsvangirai at a political rally in Rufaro Stadium, Harare, on 30 September last year. He told the meeting Mugabe should either resign peacefully or risk being removed through a violent mass uprising.

    The state alleged that Tsvangirai violated the Law and Order (Maintenance) Act by inciting public violence. If convicted, he faces a possible prison term of more than 20 years. Tsvangirai has become the fourth senior MDC official to be prosecuted under this Act. His deputy, Gibson Sibanda, and the national youth chairman, Nelson Chamisa, have already been charged.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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