THE Zimbabwe Human Rights director Okay Machisa has been accused of attempting to create a “situation” in the country that could result in the United Nations (UN) intervening and calling for a resolution for a no-fly zone over Zimbabwe.
Report By CHARLES LAITON, SENIOR COURT REPORTER
This was said yesterday by prosecutor Michael Reza during Machisa’s bail hearing at the Magistrates’ Court. The State was opposing bail against the ZimRights boss, who is facing charges of fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, or alternatively publishing or communicating information prejudicial to the State.
Provincial magistrate Tendai Mahwe denied Machisa bail and remanded him in custody to January 30.
Reza said Machisa and members of his organisation, who are accused of manufacturing fake voter registration certificates, intended the forthcoming elections to be considered a sham by the international community.
“After elections, if a party not favoured by the accused (Machisa) won the elections, they would go to the international media and present the fake voter registration slips alleging voters who cast votes were born in 1845,” Reza said.
“The other slips showed real information for persons who once existed, but died in 1940. After elections they would then interview relatives of the already dead people asking them why their dead relatives had voted.”
With such information spread on the international arena, Reza said, the elections would be declared a fuss and once that had been done, a UN resolution would be called for and a few days later Zimbabwe would be a no-fly zone.
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However, Machisa’s lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa dismissed the State’s assertions, arguing there was no evidence linking his client to the commission of the offence.
Mtetwa argued Machisa was a good candidate for bail since it was not in dispute that he had surrendered himself to police, even though they had not been looking for him, and also that police had searched his ZimRights offices and failed to find anything that could link him to the offence.
Responding to the States’ submissions, Mtetwa accused Reza of making wild unsubstantiated allegations against her client.
“If there would be a fuss after elections, such fuss can only be speculative in nature presented to you (magistrate) under the guise of a criminal nature when in fact, it is political,” Mtetwa said.
“I say this because the State is in the habit of abusing the justice system for political reasons and this is done by misrepresenting facts.”
Mtetwa declined to lead evidence from Machisa who appeared in court shackled.
He accused the State of deliberately attempting to present Machisa as a dangerous criminal by presenting him in court with leg irons.
“I will be unable to be part of a system that deliberately dehumanises accused even in public courts and I, therefore, submit that the leg irons be removed before I lead evidence,” Mtetwa said before the magistrate ordered prison officials to remove them.
