Zimbabwe: Amnesty International condemns arrest of protesters

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 02:36 pm

Amnesty International criticized the Zimbabwean authorities’ arrest of several human-rights activists who took phase in protests Friday in opposition to state corruption.

“The thwarting of the protest illustrates the Zimbabwean authorities’ complete intolerance of criticism,” Muleya Mwananyanda, the human rights organization’s deputy director for southern Africa, stated in an emailed statement. He described the arrests as a “witch hunt.”

Several stores and gasoline stations had been open on Saturday in the capital, Harare, however many companies have been nonetheless closed and few human beings were on the streets. Traffic was once sparse on all fundamental roads leading into the city, with heavily armed soldiers and police manning roadblocks.

Previous protests, along with those that took vicinity in January 2019, grew to become violent with retail stores looted by using protesters.

‘Insurrection’

The authorities issued a warning to citizens in opposition to taking part in the demonstrations. President Emmerson Mnangagwa labeled the protest plans an “insurrection” intended to overthrow his administration, which is presiding over inflation of 737%, meals and gasoline shortages and a collapsing neighborhood currency that’s led to needs by teachers, bankers and health-care people to be paid in U.S. dollars.

There were arrests of some protesters, together with that of novelist Tsitsi Dangarembga and Fadzayi Mahere, a spokeswoman for the most important opposition Movement for Democratic Change. They had been charged with inciting public violence and breaching a public health order earlier than being released on bail Saturday, and are scheduled to show up in the Harare Magistrate’s Court on Sept. 17.

“The kingdom is at warfare with its citizens,” Mahere’s lawyer, Chris Mhike, stated by phone.“The proper to protest peacefully against corruption and the national crisis in a safe, socially far away manner has been criminalized.”

Another six humans had been detained in Harare, in accordance to a declaration on Twitter with the aid of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights. Those arrested were scheduled to appear in courtroom Saturday.

Covid ‘Pretext’

The authorities have stated lockdown policies to curb the spread of the coronavirus limit mass gatherings. The southern African nation has 3,169 instances and 67 deaths from Covid-19 as of July 31, in accordance to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Zimbabwean authorities ought to end using Covid-19 as a pretext for proscribing human rights. Peaceful protest is no longer a crime, and the motivations for crushing this demonstration are simple to see,” Amnesty said.

(IOL)