ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe's opposition leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai was acquitted yesterday of plotting to assassinate President Robert Mugabe and seize power, a verdict he said may boost prospects for national reconciliation.
But the government condemned the acquittal and said a guilty man had been allowed to walk free, hinting it might appeal.
Mr Tsvangirai, who faced a possible death sentence if convicted, smiled broadly as the verdict was announced and his supporters applauded in the packed colonial-era High Court building in central Harare.
The 52-year-old former trade unionist told a news conference later he was relieved and hoped his acquittal could provide a basis for "national reconciliation". This referred to a revival of talks between his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and the governing ZANU-PF party.
But political analysts say the chances of the two parties negotiating before general elections in March 2005 are slim because Mr Mugabe remains contemptuous of Mr Tsvangirai, whom he calls a "pathetic puppet" of his Western opponents.
"This judgment may have set a good basis for national reconciliation and a national solution," Mr Tsvangirai said. "But we cannot celebrate yet because the political environment has neither improved nor are there any signs of improvement," he told reporters at his Harare residence, where supporters sang in jubilation and popped champagne corks.
Mr Tsvangirai, the biggest challenger to Mr Mugabe's 24-year rule, was accused of planning to kill Mr Mugabe and seize power ahead of a presidential election in 2002.
He still faces separate treason charges linked to anti-Mugabe protests the MDC tried to organise in 2003.
High Court Judge Paddington Garwe ruled the prosecution had not shown beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Tsvangirai had requested Mr Mugabe's assassination and a coup d'état. "The court therefore returns a verdict of not guilty," he said.
The MDC called it "a huge blow to the forces of tyranny".
Mr Tsvangirai's chief defence lawyer George Bizos, who defended South Africa's Nelson Mandela in a 1960s treason case, said the acquittal was "a victory for justice in Zimbabwe". But justice minister Mr Patrick Chinamasa said that although the government accepted the ruling, it reserved the right to pursue the case. "A guilty man has been allowed to walk out of the court scot free," he said in a statement.
In London, the Commonwealth welcomed the verdict and said it hoped Zimbabwe might in future rejoin the group, which Zimbabwe left last year.
"We very much hope that this outcome will improve the political atmosphere in Zimbabwe and open the way for genuine dialogue," Commonwealth spokesman Joel Kibazo said.
Earlier police toting batons or rifles dispersed around 200 MDC supporters and seized three people outside the court, including journalist Angus Shaw.
Security forces were on high alert after the government alleged there were plans to unleash violence following the verdict. Police set up roadblocks on some of Harare's main roads, searching vehicles heading towards the city centre.
The case against Mr Tsvangirai rested on a secretly taped video of a Montreal meeting between him and Canada-based political consultant Ari Ben-Menashe, where prosecutors said Mr Mugabe's "elimination" was discussed.