**The divisive trial of a senior aide to Zimbabwe’s prime minister is due to resume in the eastern town of Mutare.**Roy Bennett was to become the country’s deputy agriculture minister but was arrested in February on terror charges.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has called for the trial, which he calls a “malicious prosecution”, to stop.
Last Thursday, he ended a three-week boycott of the coalition government he formed with President Robert Mugabe in protest at Mr Bennett’s treatment.
Mr Bennett faces charges of terrorism, insurgency, sabotage and banditry in a case that the Movement for Democratic Change says is politically motivated. He denies all the charges against him.
On Sunday, Mr Tsvangirai told a rally on the outskirts of the capital that Mr Bennett “must be treated fairly”.
His case dates back to 2006 when a weapons dealer who was accused of plotting to assassinate the president implicated Mr Bennett in a confession he says was given under torture.