Prominent lawyer Beatrice Mthethwa says it is not a coincidence that an order to have her prosecuted has been handed down.
Magistrate Ngoni Nduna ruled that Mtetwa should stand down from representing journalist Hopewell Chin’ono and directed that the Law Society of Zimbabwe should cancel her licence for “scandalising the court”.
Speaking outside court on Tuesday, Mtetwa said Nduna’s ruling had a “chilling effect”.
Mthethwa said the prosecution is to stop lawyers from defending their clients.
“What they’re doing has a chilling effect on other lawyers. The idea is to say to human rights defenders if you defend a certain type of client, we will deal with you,” Mtetwa said.
“We’re going to challenge the decision because we don’t agree with it in a whole lot of sense, but it means the right to legal representation has been severely curtailed, and it has been curtailed by courts which are supposed to be expanding that right.”
