Opposition official’s trial on hold in Zimbabwe

A Zimbabwean court postponed the trial of key opposition figure Roy Bennett on Saturday to allow his lawyers time to prepare their case. Bennett, the Movement for Democratic Change’s nominee for the deputy agriculture minister post, faces charges of possessing weapons for sabotage, banditry and terrorism

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Tsvangirai’s party boycotting Zimbabwe government

Zimbabwe’s Movement for Democratic Change — the party of Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai — is boycotting the country’s unity government, the party’s leader said Friday. “This is a constitutional crisis,” said Tsvangirai as he railed against President Robert Mugabe’s party.

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Zimbabwe court allows appeal on opposition official’s bail

A Zimbabwe Supreme Court judge ruled Thursday that the state can further appeal a decision that would release a top opposition politician on bail. Judge Paddington Garwe said the state can appeal a high court decision to grant $2,000 bail to Roy Bennett, the opposition’s choice to be deputy agriculture minister in the new power-sharing government

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Zimbabwe court orders jailed politician freed

A Zimbabwe court has ordered the release on bail of a top opposition politician, but the country’s attorney general immediately asked for seven days to decide whether it would appeal. High Court judge Tedious Karwi said Tuesday that granting the $2,000 bail was “in the interest of justice.” “In my view it is impossible that he will interfere with state witnesses as the key witness is in custody and investigations must have been concluded by now,” Karwi said. Roy Bennett is the opposition’s choice to be deputy agriculture minister in a new power-sharing government.

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Jailed politician refuses Zimbabwe amnesty deal

Officials in Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s ruling party have offered to release imprisoned opposition leaders in exchange for a promise of amnesty covering the party’s nearly 30-year rule, one jailed politician’s wife said Wednesday.

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Arrested Zimbabwe opposition leader charged

A court in Zimbabwe charged a senior opposition official Tuesday over an alleged plot involving terrorism and insurgency, as President Robert Mugabe chaired the first Cabinet meeting of a coalition government. Roy Bennett, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) treasurer and the country’s agriculture deputy minister-designate, is charged with illegally possessing firearms for the purposes of trying to commit acts of insurgency, banditry and terrorism and to illegally leave the country last week, his lawyer said. Trust Maanda told CNN on Tuesday: “The charges were changed from treason which the state had initially charged Bennett, I am sure they discovered it could not stand

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