Former Finance minister Tendai Biti’s Zambian lawyers will
challenge the neighbouring country’s decision to deny him political asylum
after he was deported last week in defiance of a High Court order.
Biti was handed over to the Zimbabwean authorities on
Thursday after escaping the country the previous day, claiming his life was in
danger.
He was charged with inciting public violence and
allegations that he announced the July 30 election results in violation of the
Electoral Act.
Biti, who has since been granted $5 000 bail, claimed that
he was abducted by Zimbabwean security details in violation of internation law.
His Zambian lawyer, Gilbert Phiri, said they would tell
Zambian High Court judge Pixie Yangailo that his client was deported in
violation of a court order.
The MDC Alliance co-principal’s lawyer said they would
pursue the issue in which the former Zimbabwean finance minister was seeking
political asylum in the courts.
Phiri, in the company of two other Zambian lawyers, Keith
Mweemba and Mlambo Haimbe, has taken the Zambian government to court to force
it to grant Biti political asylum after it indicated otherwise.
While the Zambian government was deporting Biti back to
Zimbabwe after defying a court order, Phiri was pleading with judge Yangailo at
the Zambian High Court that his client could not attend court because he had
been deported against an earlier order.
Judge Yangailo heard Phiri and the case of defiance would
be soon heard in the High Court.
“We are at the High Court to notify the court that the
Zambian government defied a court order and deported Biti back to Zimbabwe,”
Phiri said.
“It’s pathetic that the Zambian government can summon about
100 police officers and soldiers to accompany a defenceless individual back to
the Zimbabwe side. It’s a shame.
“Such disregard of human rights should not be accepted in
this age. We informed Judge Yangailo about the defiance by the government and
they will soon hear the case.”
Biti is among opposition leaders who have questioned the
outcome of the presidential elections, in which Zanu PF won a constitutional
majority and its leader, Emmerson Mnangagwa, was elected president.
The MDC, a seven-party alliance led by Nelson Chamisa, is
challenging the results in the constitutional court.
Biti told reporters the day after the July 30 vote that the
opposition couldn’t account for 21% of the tally sheets that by law were
supposed to be posted outside polling stations, but “from what we have
received, it’s clear we’ve won”.
Biti (51) was finance minister in a unity government formed
in 2009, after a disputed 2008 vote, in which Zanu PF shared power with the
MDC.
He split from the MDC after it was defeated in another
contested vote in 2013, before reuniting with the alliance last year. —
Additional reporting by Bloomberg.
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