State Media

SEVEN activists who were arrested upon return from the Maldives where they allegedly attended a workshop on subverting a constitutionally-elected Government were yesterday removed from remand.

George Makoni, Tatenda Mombeyarara, Gamuchirai Mukura, Nyasha Mpahlo, Farirai Gumbonzvanda, Sithabile Dewa and Rita Nyamupinga were freed by Harare magistrate Mrs Babra Mateko.

Mrs Mateko told the State led by Mr Lancelot Mutsokoti to proceed by way of summons if it needed the accused persons back in court.

The State failed on numerous occasions to furnish the accused persons with a trial date hence the decision by the magistrate.

On the last remand date, Prosecutor Mr Sebastian Mutizirwa said investigations had been completed into the matter paving way for the resumption of their trial.

He said the docket for the matter was with the Prosecutor-General, Mr Kumbirai Hodzi, for indictment and assessment.

Allegations against the seven, who are members of civic society organisations, are that on May 13 last year, they travelled to the Maldives where they took part in a training workshop organised by a Serbian NGO called Centre for Applied Non-Violent Action and Strategies, with the intention to subvert a constitutionally-elected Government.

They were arrested upon return at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.

Their notes, laptops and cellphones which contained the allegedly subversive materials were recovered and were sent to the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) for extraction of evidence.

The seven were being represented by Ms Jessie Majome and Mr Jeremiah Bamu