Senior MDC member Bennett denies terrorism charges
Roy Bennett, treasurer-general in Zimbabwe’s Movement for Democratic Change party, has pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges in a trial that saw Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai briefly exit the unity government formed earlier this year. Bennett, who was supposed to be sworn in as deputy agriculture minister, was arrested in February on charges of illegal possession of arms for purposes of committing terrorism, insurgency and banditry. The case is widely viewed as political persecution. Bennett’s lawyers recently asked that Judge Chinembiri Bhunu stand down over comments he made in a bail application by the state's star witness in 2006. But this week, the judge refused to recuse himself. Zimbabwe’s attorney general, Johannes Tomana, said Bennett was involved in a plot that included assassinating individuals in government. Read more: Reuters, SW Radio News
Become an Insider