Fetison Andrianirina´s trial: unsatisfying” reprieve” for the defendant

The court decision concerning three of the leaders of the opposition to the HAT has been pronounced. Fetison Rakoto Andrianirina got the heaviest condemnation, which, in the end, happened to be quite light, namely a 13 months long jail sentence with reprieve. The defendant´s attorney, M. Razafimanantsoa, lodged an appeal against the condemnation. She expressively displayed her malcontent in face of a politically manipulated trial based on baseless accusation. 
Jail with reprieve for Fetison Andrianirinas (13 months), Parson Edouard Tsarahame and Stanislas Zafilahy (10 months each) related to November 10th 2010´s unauthorized demonstrations which ended with clashes.  The court gave in to political will to rule the leader of the Ravalomanana sphere out during the transitional process, while openly contradicting itself when pronouncing such a verdict. The same court has actually denied temporary release to defendants four times in a row and handled them like real criminials. 
 
The HAT and its justice minister partly lost the political trial against Fetison Andrianirina. The Ravalomanana sphere´s delegation chief remains however out of from the political arena despite recovery his freedom. The defense´s lodged appeal is therefore a double-edged sword because the dictating authority is potentially entitled to get a heavier condemnation although the HAT´s reputation has been further more seriously been stained by the confinement of political opponents who did nothing illegal but publicly expressed their mind.  
 
The 18 others in this case November 10th were entitled to 06 months of jail sentence with reprieve, 3 of them already spent behind bars, for being guilty for complicity into the refusal to dissolve a gathering, and of course for the organization of unauthorized demonstration and vandalism 
 
The lawyer of the three opponents to the HAT displayed dissatisfaction for having required release and the lift of charges. “There is condemnation so we had to lodge an appeal because we are convinced that these people are not guilty “, she argued. According to the explanations provided by M. Hanitra Razafimanantsoa, the ban reached the crowd long after the demonstration´s beginning.  
The former colonel Richard Ravalomanana, newly promoted general as a reward for his active repression of the opposition`s demonstrations against the HAT, presented a copy of the decision to the opposition´s three spheres by that time. The demonstration had however long begun for having been authorized by Antananarivo´s urban authorities. “A late denial from the administration is an authorization “, pleaded the attorney.  
 
The trial of these opponents to the HAT was on Monday short from being postponed again. The file vanished once more. The trial finally began with a couple of hours long delay. According to M. Hanitra Razafimanantsoa, the judge refused to watch the movie happening to be paramount to the defense. “The procedure has nevertheless been triggered by the requisition of this movie from Matv “, she recalled… an operation led by the Colonel/Général Richard Ravalomanana.  
 
” movies presented as proofs have to be held in account, so was it in the case February 07th “, protested the attorney. “We are holding this as a politically motivated trial “, concluded M. Hanitra Razafimanantsoa. The HAT´s  Justice minister, the other lawyer, and her reaction is to be expected.