Anti-Mugabe activists set to appeal sentence

ZIMBABWE: A Zimbabwean court has suspended the community service sentence on six activists convicted of airing “Arab Spring” videos as part of a plot against President Robert Mugabe.

The move allows the six to appeal against their convictions and sentence.

The group, led by Munyaradzi Gwisai, a former opposition politician in Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s party, was last month found guilty of “conspiracy to commit acts of public violence” against Mugabe.

They appealed, but a court said they should serve the sentence pending an appeal.

Lawyer Alec Muchadehama argued that the activists would be prejudiced if their appeal succeeded after they had served their sentence.