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Zimbabwe’s Supreme Court has reserved its ruling over the constitutionality of charges against opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, AFP reported on Thursday. Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and a former trade union leader, is accused of calling for the violent overthrow of President Robert Mugabe.
He was charged in May under security laws that carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. His High Court trial was postponed indefinitely to allow the Supreme Court to determine whether the charges were constitutional.
His lawyer, Chris Andersen, told the court to drop the charges because no ruling party militants had been charged under the same laws for unleashing violence on political opponents. Militants from Mugabe’s ruling group have been widely accused of violently intimidating opposition activists and launching attacks on white farmers to occupy their farmlands. If convicted, Tsvangirai could be barred from contesting presidential elections early next year.
The charges against Tsvangirai were too wide and “speculative,” his lawyer said. Andersen said he planned to subpoena Attorney General Andrew Chigovera to explain why ruling party leaders and militants had not been prosecuted for more serious incitement violations. “Why has he acted selectively?” Andersen asked in court. The top state law officer is a member of cabinet and was appointed to parliament by Mugabe.
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