Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 30 November 2017

Zimbabwe court acquits activist charged with subversion

on pledges of democracy whether this is a free judi-
after years of violations of ciary going forward."
basic freedoms. Prosecutors sought to link
There are still some Zimba- Mawarire to stone-throwing
bweans "in prison for po- and other violence during
litical reasons, in terms of protests last year that were
having stood up against the largest Zimbabwe had
the regime" of Mugabe, seen in a decade. They cit-
Mawarire said at the court- ed videos posted on social
house in downtown Harare, media in which the pastor
the capital. "Many are still urged people not to go to
appearing in court over the work and shop owners to
next few weeks and I want close their businesses as a
to urge this new govern- way of expressing opposi-
ment and administration to tion to the government.
drop those charges and let They said the pastor must
those people go because have foreseen that his calls
they did not commit any could lead to violence.
crime at all." In her ruling, the judge ac-
Mawarire, who stood in the knowledged that Mawarire
dock with a Zimbabwean was trying to "cripple gov-
flag, said he was "abso- ernment operations," but
lutely elated" at his acquit- said he urged "passive re-
Zimbabwean Pastor Evans Mawarire talks to the press following his release from Chikurubi Maxi- tal, but called it too soon sistance" and exercised
mum Prison on the outskirts of Harare. A Zimbabwean judge has acquitted Mawarire on Wednes- to tell whether it reflected his constitutional rights to
day, Nov. 29, 2017 over charges that he tried to subvert the government of former President Rob-
ert Mugabe. a trend toward more inde- freedom of assembly and
(AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi) pendence in the judiciary, expression.
which was often subject to "There is no evidence that
By CHRIS TORCHIA new leadership to drop guilty by High Court judge political pressure during the he urged a violent removal
Associated Press other prosecutions of peo- Priscilla Chigumba after Mugabe era. of the government," she
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — ple who demonstrated state prosecutors failed to "It could be evidence of said. Instead, Mawarire
A Zimbabwean pastor on against former President prove their case. The rul- a freer Zimbabwe, but I "preached peace and re-
Wednesday was acquitted Robert Mugabe. ing came as Zimbabweans think also this case had no peatedly told his audience
of subversion after lead- Evan Mawarire, who wait to see whether new legs from the beginning," not to resort to violence."
ing large anti-government launched the #ThisFlag President Emmerson Mnan- Mawarire said. "I think that The pastor would have
protests last year, and he protest campaign on so- gagwa, a former deputy of a lot more needs to be faced up to 20 years in pris-
appealed to the country's cial media, was found not Mugabe, follows through seen for us to determine on if convicted.q

At Press Time:

Honduras presidential race narrows; final results awaited

By FREDDY CUEVAS 76 percent of the votes tal- out offering specific evi- facilities where the vote An election observation
Associated Gracias lied Wednesday, Nasralla dence of manipulation. He count was under way. mission from the Organiza-
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras had 42.6 percent and Her- called on the 500 interna- Karo Avila, a college stu- tion of American States has
(AP) — New partial results nandez 41.7 percent. tional election observers in dent studying journal- urged calm. Rumors circu-
in Honduras' presidential A long pause in updated the country to form a spe- ism, was among them. "I lated Tuesday that the mili-
election narrowed chal- returns that followed re- cial commission to investi- am from the (incumbent) tary was positioning troops
lenger Salvador Nasralla's ports of Nasralla's lead fed gate. "Or else Hernandez National Party and I'm throughout the country,
lead over incumbent Presi- suspicions among his sup- will steal the victory, and I ashamed by what is hap- but the government re-
dent Juan Orlando Her- porters. won't tolerate it," he said. pening because I see how sponded that the convoys
nandez to less than one Nasralla alleged manipu- He and Hernandez have some lend themselves to of military trucks seen on
point on Wednesday, rais- lation of the results and claimed victory since Sun- the whims of those who highways were transport-
ing tensions in the country. called for his supporters day's vote. don't want to let go of the ing election materials.
An initial five-point surprise to defend the vote in the Thousands of flag-waving government," Avila said. The European Union's elec-
lead for the challenger streets. opposition alliance sup- Sonia Garcia, who worked tion observation team had
from the leftist Libre alli- "The government doctored porters marched down two in a store in one of Tegu- criticized the electoral
ance has steadily dwindled the electoral ballots, but I central boulevards in the cigalpa's malls, called for court for the delay in re-
since initial results were re- will defend the votes any- capital Wednesday head- Hernandez to resign "for our leasing results Tuesday. q
ported early Monday. With where," Nasralla said with- ing for the electoral court country's peace."