Zimbabwe: ‘Sham’ arrest of Pastor Mawarire on trumped-up charges

In response to the arrest of Zimbabwean Pastor Evan Mawarire at the Harare International Airport and his subsequent transfer to the Harare Central Police Station where he is being detained upon his return to the country this afternoon, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Southern Africa, Muleya Mwananyanda, said:

“The trumped-up charge of subversion brought against Pastor Evan Mawarire this afternoon is absolutely ridiculous and a total sham.

“Coming after a similar charge against him last year, it is designed to make him stop his human rights activism and to punish him for speaking out about the declining human rights situation in Zimbabwe.

“The authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Pastor Evan Mawarire, as he is a prisoner of conscience imprisoned solely for the peaceful exercise of his rights.”

Background

Pastor Evan Mawarire was previously arrested on 12 July 2016 after he was charged with incitement to commit public violence under the Criminal Law Act for leading a national shutdown between 13 and 14 July 2016 against “corruption” and the declining economy.