Zimbabwe trial of mercenaries postponed

The trial of 70 people accused of being British-led mercenaries plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea was postponed in Zimbabwe today to allow their lawyers to appeal for the trial to be moved, court officials said.

The men were detained after landing at Harare International Airport on March 7, and are charged with conspiring to carry out a coup in Equatorial Guinea with weapons bought in Zimbabwe.

They are also charged with violating Zimbabwe’s immigration, firearms and security laws.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment in Zimbabwe.

Lawyers for the men are seeking to have the trial moved to South Africa, where some of the suspects are from.

They are concerned that if the trial starts in Zimbabwe the men could face extradition to Equatorial Guinea – a tiny West African nation that is ranked by rights groups as one of the most repressive and corrupt in the world.

Such an extradition is possible because Zimbabwe established diplomatic relations with Equatorial Guinea last month.

If tried there, the men could face execution. In South Africa there is no death penalty.

Zimbabwe state prosecutor Lawrence Phiri said defence lawyers asked for the postponement of the Harare trial to Wednesday and there were no objections.

Prosecutors allege Equatorial Guinea’s Spanish-based rebel leader Severo Moto offered the group more than €1.5m and oil rights to overthrow President Theodoro Obiang Nguema in the former Spanish colony.

The men deny plotting to overthrow Obiang, saying they were headed to security jobs at mining operations in eastern Congo.