Biti, a respected former finance minister, proclaimed his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) the victor of the contested July 30 poll which sparked anti-government protests that were put down by soldiers. MDC leader Nelson Chamisa, who was in court, said the conviction “casts a very dark shadow on our politics”. Biti fled the country for neighbouring Zambia at the height of the poll tensions but was returned to Zimbabwe despite seeking asylum, sparking an international incident. The international community has urged Mnangagwa to guarantee the safety of Biti, who was the internationally-respected finance minister in Zimbabwe’s 2009-2013 power-sharing government. Biti’s lawyer Doug Coltart described Monday’s conviction as a “travesty, and said it remained “open to challenge.”

Source: The Guardian February 18, 2019 13:41 UTC