LUSAKA, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Zambia's leading opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema on Monday denied treason charge slapped on him when he appeared in court for the start of the trial.
Hakainde Hichilema, leader of the opposition United Party for National Development and five others were arrested in April this year and charged with treason. They have been in prison since then because treason is not bailable in Zambia.
Hichilema, 55, pleaded not guilty to the charge when he appeared in the High Court to take plea.
"I strongly deny the charge," the opposition leader said when he was asked to take plea by High Court Judge Charles Chanda.
The judge has since adjourned the matter to August 16, 2017 for the commencement of trial.
According to the charge sheet, the opposition leader and his co-accused conspired to usurp state power by according him a status of the country's president and that he allegedly blocked President Edgar Lungu's motorcade on a road in western Zambia, a move that would have endangered the Zambian leader's life.
There was tight security at the court with police in riot gear surrounding the court premises. The matter has received world attention and stoked political tension in the southern African nation.
His supporters sang solidarity songs outside the court premises.
