The court ruled that the state had violated Mukoko's constitutional rights by abducting her, and that this entitled her to a "permanent stay of criminal prosecution."

The decision brings to an end a ten-month ordeal for Mukoko. She was seized from her home in December 2008 and was held for three months before being released on bail in March.

Mukoko had been accused of recruiting people for terror training in Botswana, a charge that was rejected by the neighbouring country and Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change. She claimed she had been tortured in prison in an effort to force her confess to charges of treason.

After being freed on Monday, Mukoko told RFI that the news was still only sinking in.

“I think I was just overwhelmed," she said of her reaction on hearing the decision. "Overwhelmed with a lot of emotion because I found myself just weeping. I think those were tears of joy – it was just unbelievable. And I think up to now I’m still trying to take it in and accept that from today on I’m a free citizen again of this country."

Mukoko was told on Friday that the judgement would be given on Monday and described the wait for the verdict as the "worst weekend that I’ve ever had".  

“But I think when it [the judgement] was handed down I actually thought ‘I deserved this’, because my rights had been violated and there was no reason for me to continue suffering in the way that I had been suffering. Because it was not only taking a toll on me, it was also taking a toll on my family and in particular my teenage son.”

Mukoko has vowed to continue the fight against human rights violations in Zimbabwe and says the decision by the Supreme Court judges has given her some hope for the future.

“I think it does, the fact that the court said they reached a unanimous decision," she said. "I think that demonstrates how much my rights had been trampled on.

"As a human rights activist and somebody who has a passion for human rights, I think this just gives me an edge to carry on. I don’t intend to quit my job. I particularly still enjoy the work that I do and I hope I will be allowed to carry on to do that work.”