'Tortured' witness to take stand in Zimbabwe

An arms dealer who said he was tortured into testifying will be allowed to take the stand in the terror trial of a top ally of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, a judge ruled Wednesday.

The trial of Roy Bennett, a top Tsvangirai aide and treasurer to his party, has thrown Zimbabwe's fragile unity government into crisis with claims that the former white farmer schemed to overthrown President Robert Mugabe three years ago.

Arms dealer Peter Hitschmann is the state's star witness against Bennett, but has already said that he was tortured into making statements to authorities.

Bennett's lawyers had sought to block his testimony, but judge Chinembiri Bhunu said in his ruling that Hitschmann "must be accorded the right to to put his defence across."

Bennett could face death if convicted. Other MDC officials have already been cleared of the same charges.

Bennett's arrest last month prompted Tsvangirai to stage a three-week boycott of the unity government. He attended the weekly cabinet meeting Wednesday for the first time since the crisis erupted.

Tsvangirai and his long-time rival formed the unity government nearly a year after disputed polls that saw Mugabe handed the presidency in a one-man run-off.