Zimbabwe court orders release of opposition leader and allies: Video

A Harare court handed down suspended sentences to the group, convicted of participating in an unlawful gathering with intent to commit public violence. 

Timba, interim leader of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), was arrested on June 16 along with 79 others in what rights groups have called a politically motivated crackdown.

While many were released, Timba and 34 allies were found guilty and remained detained until Wednesday's sentencing. Magistrate Collet Ncube cited their status as first-time offenders, opting for suspended sentences. Timba and Jason Kautsa, another CCC member, received two-year sentences suspended for five years, while others received lesser penalties. 

Defense lawyer Takunda Jacob expressed dissatisfaction with the judgment, hinting at a possible appeal. “We are not happy with the ruling and await instructions from our clients,” he said. 

"The extreme group had to get 24 months of imprisonment; all of these custodial sentences were suspended for 5 years on condition of good behaviour and that in the next 5 years these people will not commit crimes that involve unlawful gatherings, and the intention to cause violence being one of the essential elements to that crime," Jacob told the AFP.

The case has drawn international attention, with Amnesty International and other rights organisations decrying the arrests as a suppression of political dissent.

U.S. Ambassador Pamela Tremont urged Zimbabwean authorities to respect rights to free speech and assembly, emphasising the need for an independent judiciary.

“We need the judiciary to be able to deliver justice independent of political considerations, and we need Zimbabweans rights to assembly and free speech to be fully respected," she said.

Critics have accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa's ZANU-PF government, in power since 1980, of using heavy-handed tactics to silence opposition voices ahead of elections.