Matinenga cleared of public violence

The member of parliament from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirais MDC party in Buhera West was cleared by Mutare magistrate Hlekani Mwayera.
Over two hundred supporters of the MDC were killed by President Robert Mugabes hit squads in the bloodiest elections since independence. Tsvangirai was forced to withdraw from the poll citing the violence. None of the murderers, most of whom are known, have been prosecuted.
The magistrate told Matinenga that he would leave the court without a stain on his character.
Evidence from state witnesses, said the magistrate, was unreliable, or inconsistent.
Mugabes regime has a habit of arresting its opponents on trumped-up charges. They are then held for weeks on end in filthy cells before being taken to court.
Matinenga, a prominent lawyer in Harare, told reporters outside the court that he
was almost driven to bankruptcy as a result of the charges.
“I am very hurt, and until the truth is told I cannot forgive, I am sorry I can not forgive,” declared Matinenga.
“As far I am concerned, this is not justice because justice is a process.
This judgment is an event. I say there is no justice because we still don’t know why these charges where trumped up against me, and who initiated this from the very beginning.”
Tsvangirai himself has been arrested on trumped-up charges and accused of plotting to unseat Mugabe by unconstitutional means.