Freed Ex-Opposition Leader Calls Zimbabwe Prison 'Hell'

A former opposition member of parliament has described his time in a Zimbabwe prison as "hell."

Following his release Tuesday, Roy Bennett said other prisoners were beaten daily, kept barely clothed and stripped of their dignity.

Mr. Bennett gained his freedom after serving nine months of a one-year prison term for shoving a lawmaker to the ground.

Last year, he was sentenced to 12 months in prison for his role in a scuffle during a parliamentary debate on controversial land reforms in Zimbabwe.

Mr. Bennett, a former farm owner, shoved Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa for calling his ancestors thieves and murderers.

At the time of his sentencing, Mr. Bennett was a lawmaker for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, and one of only three white lawmakers in Zimbabwe's parliament.

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.