They were arrested in May 2011 over the death of a policeman killed when security forces broke up an MDC meeting in the Glen View shopping centre in Harare.
Five of them have been held without bail since their arrests. They say they’ve been tortured in custody.
After years of hearings and investigations, the exact circumstances of police Inspector Petros Mutedza’s death remain unclear. All 29 deny the charges.
Meanwhile, not a single person has stood trial for the deaths of more than 200 supporters of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC killed during the 2008 elections.
The state closed its case against the Glen View 29 in March. The defence is expected to ask Justice Chinembiri Bhunu for a discharge on Tuesday.
Under Zimbabwe’s unity accord, President Robert Mugabe remains firmly in control of the security forces and the attorney general’s office.
After more than four years of power sharing, civil society groups and the MDC are having no easier a time operating than they did before the 2008 deal.
As the country awaits an election date, things are only getting worse. On March 17, four employees in Tsvangirai’s office were arrested without charge.
When their lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa demanded to see a search warrant, she was arrested as well and held for eight days.
On March 8, top human rights activist Jestina Mukoko was arrested for bringing radios and cell phones into the country. The list goes on and on. There’s no excuse for killing a police officer, whoever did it.
But what the Glen View 29 case shows is that Mugabe continues to manipulate the justice system, targeting his opponents while shielding his supporters.
Post published in: News