Gwisai and other detained activists granted bail

The group, who have been held in solitary confinement for more than a week, appeared in a Harare court on Wednesday for a bail hearing. The judge granted them US$2000 bail each, with conditions to report three times a week to the police.

SW Radio Africas correspondent Simon Muchemwa said that the judge, who also presided over the bail application made by MDC Minister Elton Mangoma on Tuesday, discredited the states case. Mangoma was also released on bail on Tuesday.

The judge basically said that the states charges of treason were malicious. It was clearly apparent, from what the state prosecutor was saying, that this was just a malicious attempt to punish these people, Muchemwa said.

Gwisai, together with Antoinette Choto, Tatenda Mombeyarara, Edson Chakuma, Hopewell Gumbo and Welcome Zimuto, were arrested along with 39 others last month. The group was attending a meeting to discuss recent civil uprisings in North Africa and were watching television footage of some of the public protest against the oppressive regimes in Egypt and Tunisia. But the meeting was raided by police after a tip-off, and the group was arrested. 39 members of the group were finally released last week, with a judge saying they had no case to answer.

But the group was set to spend another night behind bars on Wednesday while their legal team tried to gather the total bail payment of US$12 000. Muchemwa meanwhile said it was encouraging that the state prosecutors left the court in a hurry after the judges bail ruling, saying it was unlikely that the state will try to appeal the decision. A spate of arrests of activists and MDC members has resulted in an international outcry, with growing calls for the charges to be dropped.

Wednesday meanwhile continued to be an encouraging day, with more arrested people being released. Seven MDC youth activists and three employees who were facing charges of assault were released from police custody on Wednesday, after the police said they could not find the alleged complainant. The 10 were arrested at Harvest House, the MDC head office, on Sunday night but no charges could be laid against them as there was no complainant.

At the same time, in Nyanga district Manicaland province, five MDC members who were in remand prison on allegations of political violence were granted bail on Tuesday. Paul Mawadza, Zivanai Chimbudzi, Freedom Kanjira, Chamunorwa Mukoto and Andrew Nyabasa were each granted US$50 bail by a Nyanga magistrate.

However two MDC activists, Taona Chikono and Oliver Mukombwe from Chipadze in Bindura, were arrested on Wednesday morning on charges of assault, which the MDC said in a statement were forged. They are in custody at Bindura Central Police Station.

Also on Wednesday a Bulawayo court denied bail to a man who was arrested over a comment he made on the social networking website, Facebook. Vikas Mavhudzi was arrested in Bulawayo last month, over innocuous comments he made on Morgan Tsvangirai Facebook page. He is now facing charges of subversion.

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.’