Human rights’ activist Pride Mkono has been out of prison on remand for the past four years without being tried as the state has failed to provide a trial date.
Mkono has had eight oral applications of refusal of remand dismissed by the courts.
He has also made a further 34 written applications, which were also dismissed.
Mkono reports to the police every week after he was charged with trying to subvert a constitutionally elected government or alternatively inciting public violence in August 2019.
The human rights activist is accused of posting a message on Twitter inciting Zimbabweans to take to the streets over the worsening economic crisis.
In 2019, the state said four witnesses were ready to testify in the matter, but Mkono is yet to be tried.
Through his lawyer Moses Nkomo, Mkono said his last written application was on July 24 last year but the state had not yet furnished him with a trial date.
"A perusal of the submissions made by the state in response to the several applications for refusal of further remand will expose a catalogue of unbelievable and contradictory reasons for the delay in bringing the accused person to trial,” his lawyer submitted.
“Initially, it was submitted that the investigations were complicated and required investigators to travel to Ireland in order to access the Twitter server.
“This was obviously ridiculous in view of the entry on the request for remand to the effect that the tweet had already been downloaded at the time the accused person was arrested and that there were four witnesses, who would testify against the accused.
“The whole narrative was made up of romantic figments of exuberant imaginations by the state.”
The lawyer said he was once told that the docket was with the office of the prosecutor general waiting for the cause list for the 2020 judicial calendar.
“Three years later, the accused is yet to be indicted,” he said.
“Afterwards came the convenient excuse of the Covid-19 pandemic having hampered investigations.
“This was notwithstanding the earlier submissions to the effect that investigations had been completed."
Nkomo said it was clear that his client was facing political persecution, saying placing him on remand for such a long period without a trial date was unacceptable.
Nkomo is seeking the court to refuse remand forthwith.
The state is yet to respond.