Zimbabwean judge orders release of another MDC official

Jun 26, 2009, 17:03 GMT

Harare - A high court judge in Zimbabwe on Friday ordered the release of a top official of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party after he had been locked up for 11 days on what the MDC called 'trumped-up charges.'

MDC director-general Toendepi Shonhe was arrested earlier this month for reporting to police that four other MDC activists, released in March after having been abducted and held in illegal detention for nearly six months, had been abducted again.

Police said they had not been abducted, but collected by officers for further investigations in alleged terrorism charges. They then arrested Shonhe on charges of perjury.

The arrest indicates that tensions remain high between the MDC and the Zanu-PF party of President Robert Mugabe, which the MDC said was behind the incarceration.

When Shonhe appeared in court a week ago, a magistrate granted him bail. But authorities appealed against his decision, effectively forcing him to wait for the appeal to be lodged.

However, the appeal had not been lodged a week after the initial sentencing. Instead, the state on Friday appealed to the higher court against granting Shonhe bail.

Judge Felistas Chatukuta dismissed the appeal after hearing arguments that there was 'no merit' to the state's case.

Shonhe has lodged an appeal to the supreme court to strike down the provision forcing suspects to stay in custody if the state lodges an appeal, on the grounds that it contravened the rights of accused persons.

The provision has been used repeatedly against opponents of Mugabe ever since Tsvangirai and Mugabe entered into a coalition transitional government.

There are numerous issues straining relations in the new government, with Tsvangirai accusing Mugabe of flouting parts of the coalition agreement.