Zimbabwe: arrest of Pastor Mawarire is 'well-calculated plan' to crush ongoing protests

‘The arrest of Pastor Evan Mawarire appears to be a well-calculated plan to intimidate him and other activists ahead of the national shutdown’ - Muleya Mwananyanda

 

Responding to the arrest in Harare earlier today of Pastor Evan Mawarire, a leading figure in Zimbabwe’s ongoing protests against corruption and the government’s handling of the economy, Amnesty International’s Southern Africa Deputy Director Muleya Mwananyanda said: 

 

“The arrest of Pastor Evan Mawarire appears to be a well-calculated plan to intimidate him and other activists ahead of the national shutdown organised for tomorrow in an attempt to supress the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

 

“Instead of suppressing dissenting voices, Zimbabwean authorities should be listening to protesters like Evan Mawarire. They have a right under Zimbabwe’s constitution and international treaties ratified by Zimbabwe to express themselves, peacefully protest and defend their rights.”

 

Zimbabwe Republic Police arrested Pastor Mawarire after summoning him to the Criminal Investigation Department at Harare Central Police Station. Mawarire has been charged with incitement to commit public violence (under the Criminal Law Act) ahead of a planned national protest shutdown tomorrow and Thursday calledover “corruption” and the country’s troubled economy. About 300 people were arrested for protesting in different parts of the country after a similar shutdown last week.