Tsvangirai takes stand in trial
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Tsvangirai arrives at the High Court for his treason trial.
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HARARE, Zimbabwe (Reuters) -- Zimbabwe's main opposition leader took the stand for the first time in his treason trial on Monday, denying he ever plotted to kill President Robert Mugabe or overthrow him in a coup.
Morgan Tsvangirai, whose trial has fueled political tension in Zimbabwe, told the Harare High Court he had long admired Mugabe as a hero of the southern African country's fight against white domination.
"I regarded Mr Mugabe as my hero and the hero of the liberation struggle," Tsvangirai said in response to a question by his lead defense counsel, renowned South African human rights lawyer George Bizos.
Asked if he ever plotted to kill Mugabe or overthrow his government, the leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) replied: "No, my Lord."
Tsvangirai's trial has thrown a spotlight on MDC charges of political repression in Zimbabwe, which is grappling with a severe economic crisis that many critics blame on mismanagement under Mugabe's nearly 24-year rule.
Tsvangirai, who has emerged as the biggest political threat to Mugabe since independence from Britain in 1980, has said the charges against him were invented in a bid to end his challenge.
The resumption of proceedings against him cast doubts on hopes for real dialogue between the MDC and Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party, which analysts say is necessary if Zimbabwe is to resolve its serious political and economic problems.
It also flies in the face of optimistic declarations by South African President Thabo Mbeki after he met separately last month with Mugabe and Tsvangirai in a bid to resolve the crisis.
Tsvangirai appeared in court wearing a dark business suit, accompanied by his wife Susan and dozens of MDC officials.
Unlike earlier court hearings, where police turned out in force to prevent possible protests, security was low-key with no additional police apparent.
State prosecutors say Tsvangirai plotted Mugabe's murder before 2002 polls that saw the veteran president re-elected amid charges of vote-rigging from both the MDC and some international observers. If convicted, the 51-year-old former trade unionist could face the death penalty.
Tsvangirai's trial began last February with prosecutors accusing him of asking a Montreal-based political consultancy firm to arrange Mugabe's assassination and a military coup.
The High Court later dismissed charges against two senior MDC officials charged along with Tsvangirai, saying there was not enough evidence to link them to the alleged plot.
Tsvangirai has infuriated Mugabe by launching a legal challenge to his 2002 re-election, and is also awaiting a second treason trial on charges he tried to spark Mugabe's overthrow through mass protests last June.
In the current trial, the state's case rests mainly on a grainy videotape of a meeting in Montreal between Tsvangirai and Canadian-based political consultant Ari Ben-Menashe in which the prosecution said Mugabe's "elimination" was discussed.
Ben-Menashe has admitted he taped his meeting with Tsvangirai using surveillance cameras solely to get evidence for the Zimbabwean government, with which he subsequently signed a political lobbying contract. But he denies entrapping him.
The defense says the video was doctored to discredit the MDC and Tsvangirai, who the government calls a stooge for Western powers opposed to Mugabe's policy of seizing white-owned farms for distribution to landless blacks.
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Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
