NO politics in court, Judge tells state, Bails MDC 27

Today a Harare court granted bail to 27 MDC Alliance activists who were arrested following army shootings in the capital.

Magistrate Nyasha Vhitorini said: “The state must have indicated what each particular person did. The state instead bundled all the accused into a group forgetting the court deals with individuals not groups.”

Prosecutor Michael Reza opposed bail saying that the suspects were likely to re-offend considering that MDC Alliance is still contesting the election.

“Things are not normal out there,” he said.

The magistrate dismissed his arguments saying: “The state is trying to reduce this court into a political ring. The political situation is volatile out there not in the courts.”

All the 27 defendants were freed on $50 bail and will appear in court again soon.