ARTUZ’s Chere granted bail as Masaraure remains incarcerated

Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers arrested Chere on 5 July 2022
and charged him with murder as defined in Section 47 of the Criminal
Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

In court, prosecutors alleged that on 11 June 2016 Chere together with
four unnamed accomplices went on a drinking spree in Harare with Roy
Issa, where after a misunderstanding with him they ganged up against
him and assaulted him on the head with unknown weapons resulting in
his death.

The prosecutors charged that Chere, who is represented by Beatrice
Mtetwa and Doug Coltart of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR),
concealed the offence by falsely claiming that Isa fell from the
balcony of Jameson Hotel resulting in his death.

Issa’s body, prosecutors said, was found lying some six metres away
from Jameson Hotel along Park Street in Harare.

On Wednesday 13 July 2022, Justice Mungwari ended the eight-day
detention of Chere by granting him bail amounting to ZWL60 000 and
ordering him to report once a month at a police station, surrender his
passport and to continue residing at his given residential address
until his matter is finalised.

Meanwhile, ARTUZ leader Obert Masaraure remains incarcerated at Harare
Remand Prison after Harare Magistrate Stanford Mambanje deferred
delivery of his bail ruling to Thursday 14 July 2022.

Masaraure, who is represented by Tapiwa Muchineripi of ZLHR, was
arrested on Friday 8 July 2022 by ZRP officers and charged with
defeating or obstructing the course of justice as defined in Section
184(1)(c) of Criminal Code alternatively incitement to commit public
violence as defined in Section 187(1)(a) of Criminal Code as read with
Section 36(1)(a) of Criminal Code.

Prosecutors alleged that Masaraure authored a statement which he
published on Twitter and on ARTUZ website, which was meant to
prejudice his pending trial and that of Chere and o persuade the
teachers’ union members and the general public to commit public
violence.

Earlier on, Masaraure, who is also the Spokesperson of Crisis in
Zimbabwe Coalition, had been arrested by ZRP officers on 14 June 2022
and charged with murder as defined in Section 47 of the Criminal Law
(Codification and Reform) Act. He was accused of teaming up with some
unnamed accomplices to kill Issa on 11 June 2016. He was granted bail
amounting to ZWL60 000 by High Court Judge Justice Munamato Mutevedzi.