Harare, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwean police wielding clubs tried to keep almost everyone—including diplomats, lawyers, and even the defendants—out of the trial of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai this week. Tsvangirai, who ran unsuccessfully against President Robert Mugabe in an election widely seen as stolen, is accused along with two aides of plotting the president’s murder. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. Most international observers agree with Tsvangirai’s lawyer that the case was trumped up, based on an obviously doctored audiotape, and Western diplomats are watching the trial closely. Some of them, though, could not get in. When Tsvangirai arrived at court, a crowd of supporters began to cheer, and enraged cops started beating them and anyone who tried to gain entrance. A German envoy was denied access, though the U.S. ambassador did ultimately muscle his way in. The trial will take several weeks.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's oppositionThe Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
-
How the woke right gained power in the USUnder the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
