ACTION ALERT: Stand by Roy Bennett and demand that he is granted bail tomorrow
Lawyers for Roy Bennett today filed a bail application seeking Bennett’s release from custody. High Court Judge Justice Charles Hungwe will preside over the application tomorrow, Friday 16 October.
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) have issued a statement on the continued imprisonment of Roy Bennett and note that:
Whilst it is the case that, upon indictment, bail granted to an accused person can be revoked in terms of the law, the Attorney General, Mr. Johannes Tomana, has the discretion to allow the accused person to remain free pending trial on the existing bail conditions – bail conditions with which Bennett has dutifully complied with. ZLHR believes that, by choosing to oppose the continuing bail of Roy Bennett and ensuring his swift re-incarceration, Tomana is now himself dangerously threatening the Rule of Law and the stability and continuation of the increasingly fragile Interparty Political Agreement (IPA).
Roy Bennett’s lawyers will point out tomorrow that Bennett has complied with all bail conditions prior to his appearance in court on Tuesday this week, and that he does not present a flight risk. ZLHR point out the extent of Bennet’’s compliance, noting that he willingly gave up his lawful protection in South Africa, where he had been granted political asylum in South Africa prior to his arrest in February this year.
TAKE ACTION – and please circulate this call to action widely.
Call Johannes Tomana and tell him that you are following this case very closely and that you are horrified by his decision to keep Roy Bennett imprisoned. Advise him that you are contacting your MPs in your country and asking them to take action on behalf of Roy Bennett. Tell Tomana that you will be advising your MP that the man in charge of this miserable travesty of justice is Johannes Tomana.
Please be calm and polite when you speak to Tomana. It is important that he understands you are coolly and calmly rational about this affair and that you are determined to pursue justice to the end on behalf of Roy Bennett.
Please do not allow your justifiable feelings of anger and frustration to obscure the central point of your message. Your message is that you will not stand by and do nothing in the face of the gross injustice shown to Roy Bennett ! Make sure Johannes Tomana understand this very clearly.
Johannes Tomana’s telephone number is publicly available in the phone book, so give him a call!
Tel: 00 263 (04) 499617
If you cannot speak to Tomana, please politely ask the person you do speak to to pass on your message. Keep trying again and again until you get through.
Please circulate this ACTION ALERT on your Facebook network by sharing this post, and on Twitter. Encourage everyone to get involved.
Bennett’s willingness to stay and face charges in Zimbabwe, and his complete compliance with all bail conditions despite the fact he is facing a politically motivated farce of a trial, is true to the spirit of his deep commitment to Zimbabwe and his determination to represent the people who hold him in such high esteem. It is this determination to see justice done, and to see the return to the rule of law, that threatens Zanu PF so much and underpins much of the persecution he and his family have endured.
Johannes Tomana’s decision to revoke bail is malicious, personal, politically motivated and completely unacceptable.
The incredible abuse of power by Zanu PF stalwarts was evident again today when an activist who tried to visit Roy Bennett in jail was told by the prison authorities that they first needed to seek permission from Paradzai Zimonde before they could allow him to see Bennett. Zimonde is Zimbabwe’s Prison Commissioner who is also one of a handful of senior military figures responsible for orchestrating a lot of the violence last year, in their capacity as Mugabe’s Joint Operation Command (JOC).
Bennett has been subjected to relentless persecution by senior Zanu PF politicans for many years now. They despise him and are threatened by the fact that he is so popular among ordinary Zimbabweans. We must all stand by him, and we must insist that the persecution has to come to an end.
October 15th, 2009 23:10
From London the number is 00263 4 499617.
I got through to a quietly spoken Johannes Tomana after 9.30pm gmt. He twice asked who he was speaking to. I did give my family name without hesitation. I said We are watching this case very carefully and to stop persecuting Roy Bennet as we would be persuing this matter right to the end. (He asked who he was speaking to again). I then said I was informing Charles Tannok my MEP and my MP. and to please release Roy Bennet on bail tomorrow.
OK he said as if he meant it. I thanked him and said goodbye and he said bye.
October 16th, 2009 01:17
From a distance this situation appears to be a direct result of the failure of SADC to reasonably address outstanding issues, including Zimbabwe stated intention to withdrawn from the SADC’s tribunal.
I would hope that Senator Bennett will be granted bail, but the failure to resolve the outstanding issues must be fairly addressed.
October 16th, 2009 04:23
It shocking to the core that people in Zimbabwe are still being treated so cruelly and unjustly. I think of all peoples there no matter what race or creed who are undergoing hardship in whatever way, but particularly those who are experiencing political harrassment. May God in His wisdom and compassion please bring an end to the atrocities and human violations and allow good and ordinary citizens to live in peace.
October 16th, 2009 08:20
Are there no other numbers to call
October 16th, 2009 13:59
What’s his mobile phone number. I’d like to SMS the idiot with a few comments.
October 18th, 2009 20:05
To those in power and responsible for upholding the law please intervene and let justice prevail. Why are people who should be behaving with honour and responsibility playing around so disgustingly horrifically with people’s lives putting them in goal and then releasing them only to incarcerate them again? Such undescribable cruelty and no law and order what so ever. Where has justice and fairness gone in certain quarters? The people are suffering daily from brutality and the criminals continue unimpeded.
Please God intervene in all this terrible suffering.
Please judges apply the law fairly.
Please law enforcers arrest the purpetrators of criminal acts on innocent citizens and bring them before the Courts for trial and punishment.
The ordinary people have suffered enough.