Zimbabwean activist freed by high court

HARARE, Zimbabwe, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- A human rights activist cannot be tried for terrorism because she herself was tortured when police kidnapped her, Zimbabwe's Supreme Court ruled Monday.

"I am so relieved, I can barely express it," human rights activist Jestina Mukoko told The New York Times in a telephone interview.

Mukoko was abducted Dec. 3, barefoot and in bed clothes in front of her teenage son. Her abductors then held her in secret locations, making her kneel on gravel and beating the soles of her feet until she falsely confessed to conspiring against Zimbabwe's government, she told the Times.

Mukoko headed a civic group documenting human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. Despite her victory Monday, Mukoko said the abuses continue.

"We are still daily getting cases of human rights violations," she said.

The reports suggest President Robert Mugabe remains unwilling to restore human rights, despite a power-sharing deal with opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, who campaigned on a promise of justice for all, international human rights groups said.