3.12.2024
4:22
Prosecutors
from
the
National
Prosecuting
Authority
(NPA)
on
Monday,
November
2,
dropped
criminal
charges
against
33
veterans
of
Zimbabwe’s
liberation
struggle.
The
ex-combatants
had
been
facing
prosecution
for
over
three
years
after
their
arrest
on
charges
of
promoting
public
violence.
The
war
veterans
were
detained
for
allegedly
singing
“Chimurenga”
songs
during
a
protest
in
Harare,
where
they
sought
to
submit
a
petition
to
Parliament
and
the
Munhumutapa
Building,
which
houses
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa’s
offices.
The
petition
outlined
their
grievances.
The
veterans
were
charged
with
participating
in
a
gathering
with
the
intent
to
promote
public
violence,
breaches
of
peace,
or
bigotry,
as
defined
in
Section
37(1)(a)
of
the
Criminal
Code.
The
charges
were
withdrawn
after
the
High
Court
upheld
the
war
veterans’
application
for
a
review,
ruling
that
the
charges
against
them
were
defective.
The
ex-combatants
were
represented
by
Kelvin
Kabaya,
Paida
Saurombe,
and
Tinashe
Chinopfukutwa
of
the
Zimbabwe
Lawyers
for
Human
Rights
(ZLHR).
Post
published
in:
Featured