Zimbabwe: State Wants to Re-Detain All 18 Abductees

UPDATE: News agencies reported on Tuesday that the detainees had been sent back to jail after the remand hearing.

After being illegally abducted, tortured and spending months in horrendous prison cells, the State is still determined to target a group of civic and political activists, who face charges of trying to overthrow the Mugabe regime.

All abductees were in court Monday and were formally charged. Their trials were set for June and July and the Attorney General's offices made submissions in court to have the bail of all 18 accused persons revoked.

Their defence teams submitted that there was no basis for such an action and that the AG's office was making unilateral decisions, by trying to cancel an agreement that had been made by the Principals to the unity government, to have them all released on bail pending trial.

The defence team told the court they hoped to bring in officers from the AG's office and people from the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC), to show that there had been a political agreement to grant them bail.

When Magistrate Chimhanda announced that the individuals, including civic leader Jestina Mukoko, journalist Shadreck Manyere, MDC officials Chris Dlamini and Ghandi Mudzingwa, had been indicted for trial, the prosecutor immediately asked for bail to be revoked and that they should all be remanded in custody.

15 activists actually appeared in court. Mudzingwa, Manyere and Dlamini are 'detained' and receiving treatment at the Avenues Clinic - having treatment for their injuries from torture during their incarceration. The 15 had only been released recently, after lawyers spent months fighting in the courts to have them released on bail.

Lawyer Andrew Makoni said: "The understanding is that the decision to place them on bail - after the State had strongly opposed to it in the first place - was because of an agreement reached by the Principals which was communicated to the Attorney General, who then prevailed upon his officers to consent to bail.'

Makoni said his team had readily agreed to this arrangement because they wanted their clients, who had suffered so much at the hands of state agents, to be released from custody.

He said: "Magistrate Chimhanda deferred the matter to tomorrow (Tuesday) to allow us to call in the evidence of officers from the AG's office - who communicated to us that this was a political kind of compromise, and also two officials from JOMIC who perhaps will have to confirm in court that it was indeed an agreement as the political parties, that the accused persons be admitted on bail."

The defence team said the latest developments send a very bad signal, especially to the international community. "Particularly when you take into consideration what we already know about the prisons. We know that those things are death traps and surely you can't expose somebody who had gained their liberty to again be exposed to those kind of situations.

"We believe that in all fairness and given the nature of the case they are facing - particularly the lack of evidence - we don't believe that there is any basis for them to be put back in custody," Makoni added.

Meanwhile rights lawyers have written a letter to the co-Home Affairs Ministers Giles Mutsekwa and Kembo Mohadi, to ask them 'to explain their alleged complicity in the continued incarceration' of Mudzingwa, Dhlamini and Manyere.

This emphasises the difficult nature of the unity government, with Mutsekwa being tainted by the same brush, even though it's members from his MDC party who are being 'abused' by the State. Observers say it also highlights the fact that the MDC have no real power in this unity government.

Tragic Quote of the week: "Zimbabwe Is Mine"

Mugabe: "I will never surrender"

President Robert Mugabe has said that "Zimbabwe is mine" and rejected calls from some African leaders to step down.

"I will never, never, never surrender," he told delegates of his ruling Zanu-PF party at its annual conference.
Mr Mugabe also said he had sent a letter to the country's main opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, inviting him to be sworn in as prime minister.
Earlier, Mr Tsvangirai said he would pull out of power-sharing talks unless abductions of his supporters stopped.
He said more than 40 members of his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) were missing and accused the Zanu-PF of orchestrating a campaign of terror.

The only persons with the power to remove Robert Gabriel Mugabe are the people of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe Dollar is key to Zimbabwe survival

Zimbabwe is currently gripped by economic collapse and a cholera epidemic. The UN on Thursday reported that the death toll from the disease had risen to 1,123 and that 20,896 people had been infected.
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Friday the antiquated methods being used to treat the epidemic could not bring hope to the suffering of Zimbabweans, and called for more aid to be sent.
"I believe the situation, contrary to what President Mugabe says, from all the evidence we have is deteriorating and deteriorating rapidly," he told a news conference in London.
US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer meanwhile said there was "a complete collapse right now" in Zimbabwe, and said Mr Mugabe needed to step down.
'Pack of lies'
But in a defiant speech at Zanu-PF's annual conference in Bindura, the president insisted "the only persons with the power to remove Robert Gabriel Mugabe are the people of Zimbabwe".
"I will never, never, never surrender. Zimbabwe is mine, I am a Zimbabwean. Zimbabwe for Zimbabweans," he said.

WHERE AFRICA STANDS Critical of Robert Mugabe - Botswana's president has called for fresh elections - Kenya's PM wants African governments to oust Mr Mugabe - Senegal's president says Mr Mugabe should give up power - Zambia's late president called the region's silence over election violence "scandalous" - Nigeria's foreign minister says he told Mr Mugabe to go in June Pro power-sharing - Southern African Development Community (Sadc) maintains power-sharing is the only solution - South Africa, the regional powerhouse, backs Sadc - The African Union says a unity cabinet is the only way forward

Mr Mugabe said international criticism of his government's handling of the cholera outbreak was "a pack of lies".
"I won't be intimidated. Even if I am threatened with beheading, I believe this and nothing will ever move me from it: Zimbabwe belongs to us, not the British," he added.
He also questioned whether any of his country's neighbours would "have the courage to order a military intervention".
"What would they come and do militarily here? All that they would come and really pose is a threat to our stability," he said.
"There would be an unnecessary war started in a foolish manner because of foolish persuasion coming from foolish sources."
Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade became the latest in an increasing number of senior African politicians calling for Mr Mugabe to quit earlier on Friday.
He told the French newspaper, La Croix, that he had supported Mr Mugabe in the past but was forming the view that the president was now the cause of his country's problems.
'No letters'
Also in his speech on Friday, the Zimbabwean leader said he had written to Mr Tsvangirai, inviting him to become prime minister as part of the inclusive power-sharing government, but expressed doubt whether he would accept.
"I have sent letters so that they can come and I can swear [in] and appoint them. We have not reached a stage where we can say with a degree of certainty that they want to be part of this," he said.

Mr Tsvangirai has threatened to withdraw from the power-sharing talks

MDC officials told the Reuters news agency that they had received no such letters.
The two rivals signed a power-sharing deal in September, under which Mr Tsvangirai would have become prime minister and head a new council of ministers, but they have been unable to agree on the distribution of key ministries.
Earlier, Mr Tsvangirai said Mr Mugabe had repeatedly broken the spirit of the agreement.
He said the president was trying to stay in power at all costs, and threatened to suspend all contact with the Zanu-PF unless there was an end to the abduction of MDC supporters and civil society activists.
"More than 42 members have been abducted," the MDC leader told a news conference in Botswana, where he is currently based.
"If these abductions do not cease immediately and if all abductees are not released or charged in a court of law by 1 January 2009, I will be asking the MDC's national council to pass a resolution to suspend all negotiations and contact with Zanu-PF."
Mr Tsvangirai said there could be no meaningful talks while a campaign of terror was being waged to undermine the MDC's support and reduce it to a junior partner in the new government.
BBC Southern Africa correspondent Peter Biles says that this represents a significant shift in Mr Tsvangirai's position, as he had previously remained committed to the power-sharing talks despite a number of reservations. 

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