Zimbabwean pastor faces 20-year jail term in government clampdown
Zimbabwean activist Pastor Evan Mawarire will spend more time in detention after a court on Wednesday postponed his bail hearing because state prosecutors were not ready to proceed with the case.
Mawarire is among hundreds of civilians who face public order charges following last week's violent protests over fuel price hikes. He denies the charges.
Mawarire rose to prominence as a critic of former president Robert Mugabe and led a national protest in 2016 with the slogan '#ThisFlag'. He was charged last week with subverting the government, punishable by up to 20 years in jail, having initially been charged with the lesser crime of inciting public violence after social media posts encouraging Zimbabweans to heed a strike call by the biggest labour union.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government decreed a 150 per cent hike in fuel prices last weekend, which triggered the three-day strike, during which protesters barricaded roads with rocks and burnt tyres and looted shops.
Britain, the former colonial ruler, summoned Zimbabwe's ambassador in London. Africa minister Harriett Baldwin said Britain condemned the violent behaviour of some protesters, but was 'deeply concerned that Zimbabwe's security forces have acted disproportionately in response'.
A government-appointed human rights watchdog has accused soldiers and police of using 'systematic torture', according to the BBC. The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission said men and boys as young as 11 had been forced to lie on the ground where they were beaten.
'The deployment of the army in quelling civilian disturbances leads to loss of life and serious bodily injuries and other human rights violations, yet the government continues to make such deployments,' its statement said.
More than 600 people have been arrested in the crackdown.
The unrest reflects the failure of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government to repair the economy following his coup in 2017. Inflation soared to a 10-year high of 42 per cent in December, even before the fuel price hike.
Additional reporting by Reuters.
