On Wednesday, a Zimbabwean journalist and a rights activist were charged in court over accusations of encouraging public violence before next week’s planned anti-government protests.
The arrests consist of Jacob Ngarivhume, an activist, as well as Hopewell Chin’ono who is a freelance journalist and government critic. Both were arrested at their homes on Monday.
Ngarivhume and Chin’ono had supported the July 31 protest against government corruption.
State prosecutors in the court claim the two used their Twitter accounts to ignite public violence by motivating Zimbabweans to come out to protest.
Ngarivhume and Chin’ono were not asked to enter a plea.
They both could face up to 10 years in prison if charged guilty.
The journalist and activist as of now will be jailed until bail is given to them on Thursday.
While addressing the possibility of bail, state prosecutors opposed stating the two could manage to get of the country and continue to motivate Zimbabweans to participate in the planned protests via social media, which would also expose many to the coronavirus.
Ngarivhume and Chin’ono’s lawyer, Doug Coltart, claimed the facts presented by the state did not show any offense.
On Tuesday, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa imposed a night-time curfew and strengthened other measures to prevent the rising coronavirus cases.
The Zimbabwean President said restraining freedoms were imperative to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
However, the opposition accuses the government of using health restrictions to suppress political rights.
On the other hand, the Zimbabwean President accuses the opposition of being part of a plot against his government with the backing of some Western countries.