HARARE
–
Citizens
Coalition
for
Change
(CCC)
faction
leader
Jameson
Timba
has
been
convicted
together
with
34
party
activists
jointly
accused
of
participating
in
an
unlawful
gathering.
The
veteran
politician
and
78
others
were
arrested
June
16
this
year
in
a
police
raid
at
his
home
in
the
quiet
neighbourhood
of
Avondale,
Harare.
The
activists
argued
they
were
in
a
private
space
commemorating
the
Day
of
the
African
Child,
a
calendar
event
of
the
African
Union,
but
prosecutors
insisted
the
gathering
was
illegal.
What
followed
were
five
months
of
remand
imprisonment
which
has
been
widely
condemned
by
many
including
a
British
lawmaker
in
the
House
of
Lords.
They
were
convicted
on
Friday
by
a
Harare
magistrate
while
28
others
who
were
part
of
the
group
were
acquitted.
The
activists
face
up
to
five
years
in
prison
or
a
fine.
Sentencing
is
set
for
next
week,
said
Webster
Jiti,
one
of
the
activists’
lawyers.
The
Zanu
PF
led
government
has
led
a
tough
hand
on
opposition
gatherings
with
activists
subjected
to
many
months
of
pre-trial
detention
for
the
alleged
offences.
The
opposition
CCC
accuse
Zimbabwean
rulers
of
stifling
freedom
of
assemble
and
manipulating
courts
to
hand
tough
decisions
against
opposition
activists
and
government
critics
against
the
cardinal
doctrine
of
separation
of
powers.
The
government
denies
the
claims.