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Zimbabwe court overturns police ban on rallies

by Jordan Yerman | June 7, 2008 at 01:03 pm

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Zimbabwe's High Court has overturned a ruling that banned political rallies, even as an MDC event was scheduled to begin. However, time will tell if the police, under Robert Mugabe's control, will respect this new rulin, as the rule of force is more powerful in Zimbabwe than the rule of law.

"The effect of the order is to allow MDC rallies to proceed. The order simply says that police should not interfere with the MDC rallies. We made an urgent chamber application after police wrote to say the rallies scheduled for this weekend should not continue," MDC lawyer Charles Kwaramba said.

He said High Court Judge Alfas Chitakunye gave the order on Saturday afternoon. The application only sought to challenge the police ban on MDC rallies scheduled for this weekend.

"The ruling is logical. What is disturbing is we have to go to the High Court each time we want to meet our supporters. That only happens in a dictatorship. We are not an underground or guerrilla movement, we need to meet the people," MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said.

He said the rallies the party planned for this weekend would go ahead.

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Jordan Yerman

at 13:16 on June 7th, 2008

(While not 100% connected to the story above, the attached video depicts a Zimbabwean guy showing off his living conditions as though he were on MTV Cribs... it shows not only the living conditions in Zimbabwe, but also the resourcefulness and grace of its people)