Zimbabwean Facebook user accused of subversion granted bail

Mar 31, 2011, 18:03 GMT

Harare - A Zimbabwean court on Thursday granted bail to a Facebook user who is facing charges of subversion over a comment he made on Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's webpage, according to an activists group.

High Court Judge Justice Nicholas Ndou quashed an earlier ruling denying bail to Vikas Mavhudzi, according to Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), which has been representing him.

Mavhudzi was arrested in Bulawayo on February 24, after expressing approval of the protests in Egypt that led to the resignation of Hosny Mubarak as president.

'I am overwhelmed ... What happened in Egypt is sending shockwaves to dictators around the world. No weapon but unity of purpose worth emulating, hey,' he wrote.

According to state prosecutor Jeremiah Mutsindikwa, the 39-year- old had 'unlawfully' suggested to Tsvangirai 'the taking over or attempt to take over the government by unconstitutional means or usurping the functions of the government.'

A date for the trial had not yet been set, ZLHR's Lizwe Jamela said.

Protests that led to the ousting of long-term autocratic leaders in Egypt and Tunisia appear to have rattled Zimbabwe's president of more than two decades, Robert Mugabe.

In February, a group of activists who had gathered to watch video footage of the protests were arrested and allegedly tortured in police detention.

Some were charged with treason, which carries the death penalty in Zimbabwe, while others have been released.

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