Remaining 12 Vapositori granted bail

The first 24 were ordered out of prison custody last week, with each having to pay $100 to secure freedom.

Trial will resume on July 1.

Obey Shava, the defence lawyer from Mbidzo, Muchadehama and Makoni, said relatives and spouses of the 36 were making frantic efforts to raise bail money.

“What I can confirm is that all the 36 are now on bail and what is left is to raise the money for them to walk out of remand prison,”

Shava said, but he could not disclose the amount raised towards the bail so far.

He however confirmed that well-wishers were making cash contributions towards the cause.

The first 24 have been struggling to raise the bail since last week and were yet to leave remand prison.

Human rights lawyer, Alec Muchadehama, whose law firm, through Shava, is representing the 36, said by insisting that the accused pay $100 bail each instead of the offered $10, the courts had literary denied his clients freedom.

“Our bail submissions were that since the accused were not gainfully employed, $10 was the most appropriate bail, since the courts had seen it fit to keep them out of custody until the trial comes to conclusion,” said Muchadehama.

The 36 are accused of assaulting police officers, journalist and members of the Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe led by Archbishop Johannes Ndanga.

The violence erupted on May 30, 2014, when Ndanga announced to the church members at their Budiriro 2 shrine that they had been banned because of reported human rights violations.

The church is accused of denying children access to education and forcing girls into early marriages, among other malpractices.