CommuTalk Reporter
HARARE — A Zimbabwean court on Monday freed a prominent political activist who had been convicted of inciting public violence for organizing anti-government protests last year.
Jacob Ngarivhume, the leader of Transform Zimbabwe, a small opposition party, was sentenced to three years in prison in April for calling for demonstrations against corruption and economic mismanagement under President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The protests, planned for July 31, 2020, were thwarted by a heavy deployment of security forces.
Ngarivhume appealed his conviction, challenging the evidence used against him, which included a Twitter account that he said did not belong to him.
The High Court of Zimbabwe agreed with Ngarivhume and overturned his conviction and sentence, ordering his immediate release. The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, which represented Ngarivhume, confirmed the ruling on X, a social media platform.
Ngarivhume is one of several activists and opposition members who have faced arrests for speaking out against Mnangagwa’s government, which has been accused of human rights violations and failing to deliver on its promises of reforms and prosperity.
