Black Moses on sedition rap, no bail yet

Black Moses: Handcuffed, no bail for sedition charges

A second hearing for bail application for detained president of Youth for Freedom and Democracy (YFD), Black Moses, was in session on Wednesday 28th September at the Blantyre Magistrate court.

He was represented by Lusungu Gondwe of Ralph Kasambara's law firm, Ralph and Arnold.

A trader in Blantyre, Black Moses, was arrested last week following a police man-hunt. He was being hunted, alongside University student late Robert Chasowa, vice president for YFD, who was later found dead at the Malawi Polytechnic campus in Blantyre on Saturday morning.

Black Moses is facing sedition charges, according to his lawyers.

He was arrested because of his group's scathing publication The Weekly Political Update.  Police spokesman Willie Mwaluka said the leaflets insult President Bingu wa Mutharika.

He is due in court again Friday.

After half an hour of hearing, Black Moses was whisked into a waiting Police Mini bus, as he carried two bottles of orange juice and yoghurt which were given to him by sympathisers.

One of his mates, famous for displaying a placard with words "men are scarce because of forex" during the July 20 demonstrations, screamed that Black Moses is a "victim of political vendetta."

The July protests were triggered by the worst economic crisis to hit Malawi since independence, as the country faced acute shortages of fuel, electricity and foreign currency.

Sedition in Malawi is probably one of the highest political crimes, according to South African-based legal academic Mtende Mhango.

Mhango noted that a majority of cases against individuals charged and/or convicted under the nation’s sedition law have often been politically motivated.’

He notes that the Constitution of Malawi, which came into effect in 1994, provides that ‘every person shall have the right to freedom of opinion, including the right to hold opinions without interference to hold, receive and impart opinions’ and ‘every person shall have the right to freedom of expression’. Further, ‘the press shall have the right to report and publish freely, within Malawi and abroad, and to be accorded the fullest possible facilities for access to public information’.

Anglican Bishop James Tengatenga of Southern Malawi Bishop Tengatenga is on record adding voice to lawyers move to have courts to repeal the country's speech laws.

Nyasa Times 29 Sep, 2011

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Source: http://www.nyasatimes.com/malawi/2011/09/29/black-moses-on-sedition-rap-no-bail-yet/
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