RULING for outspoken activists Japhet Moyo, Evan Mawarire and Gift Mutasa ’s application for refusal of further remand has been set for Wednesday by a Harare magistrate, Zim Morning Post can report.
This comes after the defense counsel Aleck Muchadehama argued that the accused persons have been on remand for too long.
’’The state has been promising a trial date for the accused persons but no date has been provided’’
’’The State must remove the accused persons from further remand so that they may be tried on the basis of summons as the State has proven not to be ready,’’ aid Muchadehama
Muchadehama submitted that should the State deny the application it will be a serious harm to the constitutional rights of the accused persons.
In responding to the application the State led by Idah Maromo opposed the prayer saying the nature of the offense the accused persons were facing do not warrant for such reprieve.
’’The court should take into account the nature of the offence that the accused persons is facing and if the application is granted it will affect the peace and security of the nation’’
’’ Considering the current political situation in Zimbabwe it will not be prudent to remove the accused persons from remand’,” said Maromo.
She further argued that the accused persons are well connected outside the jurisdiction of Zimbabwe and hence it will not be prudent to have them removed from remand as they posed a flight risk.
The matter was rolled over to Wednesday (tomorrow) for the ruling of the application .
The three outspoken activists appeared before a Harare magistrate Learmore Mapiye facing charges subverting a constitutionally elected government.
Prosecuting, Idah Maromo alleges that on January 14, Mawarire and Mutasa recorded a video for the Zimbabwean populace’s consumption, which went viral on social media platforms, including YouTube, Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook, which have worldwide coverage.
It is the State’s case that the contents of the video were meant to subvert a constitutional government in that Mawarire was coercing Zimbabwean workers not to report for duty and encouraging civil disobedience or resistance of all law.
