After hearing submissions from Machisa’s lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa and the State, which opposed bail, Justice Chatukuta said she will hand down her ruling on the ZimRights director’s freedom bid on Tuesday 29 January 2013.
In her application, Mtetwa argued that the human rights campaigner must be freed on bail because Harare Magistrate Tendai Mahwe had erred and misdirected himself when he denied him bail on Wednesday 16 January 2013.
Machisa was arrested on Monday 14 January 2013 and charged with contravening Section 31, 136 and 137 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act for allegedly attempting to defraud the Registrar General’s Office by forging and manufacturing counterfeit copies of certificates of voter registration.
His arrest followed the apprehension of Leo Chamwahwinya, the ZimRights Education Programmes Manager, who was arrested on 13 December 2012 together with Dorcas Shereni, the ZimRights Highfields Local Chapter Chairperson and Farai Bhani and Tatenda Chinaka, whom he charged are not connected to the grassroots human rights organisation.
Post published in: News