IPU questions Sikhala’s lengthy detention

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has raised concerns over CCC’s Job Sikhala long, continued pretrial detention which passed the 500-days mark this week.

Zimbabwe is a signatory to the IPU which is an amalgamation of parliaments. The grouping castigated  the courts’ decisions, in particular, the prolonged pretrial detention which is at odds with the Zimbabwe’s own laws.

Sikhala was arrested in June of 2022, on allegations of inciting violence following the gruesome murder of Moreblessing Ali, a CCC supporter. He has since been languishing at Chikurubi Maximum Prison with several applications for bail denied. Sikhala’s failure to get bail ensured that he did not contest the August 23 election.

“IPU is deeply concerned over the several deficiencies that the trial observer identified in the handling of the legal proceedings brought against Sikhala, in particular the acceptance of inconsistent and unreliable evidence against Sikhala and the repeated denial of bail in contradiction with established principles of law in Zimbabwe and other common law legal systems.

“IPU believes that the report (by Kahn) gives serious weight to the accusation made by the complainant that the case made against Sikhala came merely in response to the exercise of his right to free speech; is led to believe, therefore, that he should never have been detained and prosecuted in the first place, hopes that higher-level courts will carefully and critically assess what credible evidence, if any, exists in support of the charges and will adopt a fair verdict, and is eager to be kept informed of developments in this regard.

“IPU is dismayed that Sikhala has been held in Chikurubi maximum security prison on remand since his arrest on 14 June 2022 and that all his applications for bail have been denied, it fails to see how his detention in a maximum security prison could possibly be justified and is shocked by reports that Sikhala’s health has gravely deteriorated and that he is being held in inhumane conditions,” said IPU.

Sikhala’s arrest was also cited as one of the issues  that tainted the elections by the SADC Election Observer Mission (EOMs) in it’s preliminary report.