LAST THREE ABDUCTEES GRANTED BAIL; POLICE ARREST

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 HARARE 000401 SIPDIS AF/S FOR B. WALCH DRL FOR N. WILETT ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR M. GAVIN E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/14/2019 TAGS: ASEC KDEM PGOV PHUM PREL ZI SUBJECT: LAST THREE ABDUCTEES GRANTED BAIL; POLICE ARREST THEIR LAWYER REF: A. HARARE 395 ¶B. HARARE 372 ¶C. HARARE 367 ¶D. HARARE 332 Classified By: Ambassador James D. McGEE for reasons 1.4 (d). -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) The legal drama surrounding the 18 people abducted in late 2008 continues. On May 13, High Court Justice November Mtshiya granted bail to the last three abductees still in custody: Kisimusi (Chris) Dhlamini, Ghandi Mudzingwa, and Andrisson Shadreck Manyere. In his ruling, Justice Mtshiya stated that all evidence against the three men was circumstantial and relied on witnesses from the government. As we visited Mudzingwa and Dhlamini in the hospital on the morning of May 14, one of their lawyers, Alec Muchadehama, was arrested at the magistrate's court while attending to their case. Mudzingwa insisted to us that he does not want the prosecution of him and others to serve as a rationale for the West to withhold aid to Zimbabwe. END SUMMARY. -------------- 3 Remaining "Bombers" Granted Bail -------------- ¶2. (U) In the High Court on May 13, Justice November Mtshiya granted bail to three men who were abducted between November and December 2008 and subsequently charged with bombing police stations. The three men have been in private hospitals since their re-arrest on Monday May 5 after being formally indicted for the bombings (refs B and C). The bail ruling came after an entire week of near-daily hearings on their case. Unlike in previous cases, the State did not oppose bail. The judge, however, had unusually harsh words for the State prosecutor, who he warned against employing delay tactics. He also commented on the lack of evidence in the case, noting that all of the evidence against the men was circumstantial, and that they did not meet each other until after their arrests. ¶3. (U) Following the ruling, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) issued a press release, praising the ruling and reiterating that these men along with the rest of the abductees should not be before the courts at all. The ZLHR statement criticized those who would brush aside criticism of the cases' merit and called for "compliance with the rule of law." ZLHR pointed out that the perpetrators of the abductions, illegal searches, and interrogations of the three men have not been called to account for their actions. -------------- Dhlamini and Mudzingwa Want Trial -------------- ¶4. (SBU) We visited Mudzingwa and Dhlamini at Avenues Clinic on May 14 (Manyere is in a different private facility). On our arrival, four Zimbabwe Prison Service officers were outside the room, but did not interfere with the numerous visitors the men received. Mudzingwa told us that once their lawyers secured their release orders, the prison guards would leave. He made an impassioned plea that their abductions and continued prosecution not stand in the way of Western aid for Qcontinued prosecution not stand in the way of Western aid for Zimbabwe. Mudzingwa (along with others) believe their court cases are one of the tools ZANU-PF hardliners are using to ensure the transitional government collapses. He implored the U.S. government to provide whatever assistance to HARARE 00000401 002 OF 003 Tsvangirai possible. ¶5. (SBU) Both Mudzingwa and Dhlamini appeared in good spirits and good health and said they would be released from the hospital within a few days. Dhlamini said the fractures he suffered in his wrist and hip were healing, but he had permanently lost hearing in his left ear from a hard blow to the head during his torture and interrogation. During his detention, he was subjected to torture, including being beaten while suspended from a tree by his handcuffed wrists and then, while suspended upside down and bound in rope, having his head held under water. He was beaten to the point of unconsciousness twice, and kept in solitary confinement for nearly a month. After these torture sessions, he finally provided false testimony agreeing to his captors' allegations that he coordinated a series of bombings. Dhlamini said he intentionally provided common names and vague physical descriptions of his alleged co-conspirators in the hopes that police would not arrest others. Collectively, the seven men accused of bombings did not know each other until they appeared in court together at the end of December. ¶6. (SBU) Dhlamini shared his indictment papers with us, which name the police officials who "caused him to be collected" on November 28. In contravention of Zimbabwean law, which mandates a prisoner should be charged in court within 48 hours, Dhlamini did not appear in court until December 24. The indictment, some of which was made public in a local independent newspaper on May 8 and resulted in the arrest of two journalists (ref A),confirms police involvement in the abductions even though police at the time denied knowing where the abductees were. ¶7. (SBU) Both men want their case to go to trial in order to expose their torturers. They are furious that the perpetrators of these illegal interrogations are still working for the Zimbabwean government and have not faced any consequences. Dhlamini is confident he will be able to identify the men who held him and who tortured him and desperately wants to expose them in court. -------------- Lawyer Arrested -------------- ¶8. (SBU) On the morning of May 14, prominent human rights defender Alec Muchadehama was arrested while seeking the release papers for the three men at the Harare magistrates' court. Currently, ZLHR lawyers are at Harare Central police station seeking to ascertain the charges he is facing and to secure his release. Previously, on May 8, ZLHR warned us that police might seek to arrest Muchadehama for improperly securing the three men's release the first time they were granted bail in April (ref D). The court clerks that printed the orders were arrested on May 7 for abusing their office. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶9. (C) We have long believed that legal reform and a return to the rule of law, as carried out by fair-minded judges, prosecutors, and police is one of the greatest challenges Qprosecutors, and police is one of the greatest challenges facing this transitional government. Justice Mtshiya's ruling and his frank comments regarding the case's validity are laudable. Nonetheless, it appears the legal onslaught against ZANU-PF's enemies -- namely ZLHR and the abductees -- continues unabated, as reflected by Muchadehama's arrest today. Mudzingwa is likely right that these arrests and court cases are designed to intimidate the MDC and to push for the transitional government's collapse as donor HARARE 00000401 003 OF 003 enthusiasm wanes. END COMMENT. MCGEE