Amnesty International says the continued detention of opposition Citizens Coalition for Change activist Job Sikhala, who is facing charges of inciting violence, is a travesty of justice.
In a statement, Amnesty International urged President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government to release Sikhala.
“… Authorities should immediately and unconditionally release Job Sikhala and all charges against him should be dropped as he is detained solely for peacefully exercising his human rights.”
Amnesty International noted that his detention for more than 500 days without a proper trial is unlawful.
“Job Sikhala has lost more than 500 days of his life in pretrial detention based on trumped up charges of obstruction of justice. Job Sikhala should never have been detained in the first place.”
The High Court this week found him not guilty of obstructing or defeating the course of justice after a lower court convicted him of claiming that slain Citizens Coalition for Change activist, Moreblessing Ali, was killed by Zanu PF activists in Nyatsime. He is still facing charges of inciting public violence.
Amnesty International said, “That he will remain in prison on other baseless charges of incitement to commit violence and disorderly conduct is a travesty of justice and a violation of his human rights. This is yet another example of the Zimbabwean authorities’ ongoing weaponization of the law to target activists and opposition figures to silence dissent.”
CCC’s deputy spokesperson Gift Ostallos Siziva said Amnesty International got it right.
“Sikhala is a political prisoner. He should be released now,” said Siziva.
But Zanu PF’s Malaki Nkomo said Sikhala should face the wrath of the law.
“Our courts are very independent. Sikhala should be tried like any other person in Zimbabwe. Nobody is above the law and so it is important for him to be detained until he is cleared of any wrong doing.”
Moreblessing Ali was murdered by suspected Zanu PF activists who tossed her mutilated body in a disused well.
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