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Zimbabwean opposition lawmaker has pleaded not guilty to charges that he planned to
overthrow President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a lawyers’ group said on Monday, the
latest in a series of cases to target government critics.
Job
Sikhala, 47-year-old vice chairman of the main opposition the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) party, was arrested in July, after he criticized the
government at a rally in the southern Masvingo province. He was subsequently
released on bail.
At
the opening of the trial on Monday Prosecutor Tawanda Zvekare told the court in
Masvingo city that Sikhala was planning to subvert the government “through
unconstitutional means” at the MDC event.
Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Human Rights said Sikhala pleaded not guilty and was seeking to
have the subversion charges dropped.
“(Sikhala’s
prosecution) is just harassment of the opposition legislator through the use of
the criminal justice system,” said rights lawyers grouping.
Several
government critics have been charged with subversion since Mnangagwa came to
power in 2017 following a coup that ousted long-time ruler Robert Mugabe.
Prosecutors
last year dropped treason charges against leading civil rights activist and
priest Evan Mawarire, who was arrested in January 2019 for calling on
Zimbabweans to miss work for a day in protest at the doubling of fuel prices.
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