The High Court of Zimbabwe reversed a six-month suspended jail sentence and a fine imposed on famed Zimbabwean novelist Tsitsi Dangarembga for organizing an anti-government event in 2020 on Monday.
Dangarembga was found guilty in 2022 of partaking in a public gathering with the goal to provoke public violence, in violation of COVID-19 guidelines, after a protest in July 2020 that denounced the government’s efforts to deal with corruption and a collapsing economy. Hundreds of political activists were arrested during the time.
I can confirm that she was found not guilty. Harrison Nkomo, her attorney, expressed thanks, adding, “As her lawyers, we are grateful because she had not committed any offence in the first place.”
He claims that the High Court judges did not immediately explain their decision to acquit.
Dangarembga, a long-time critic of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s regime, contended throughout his trial that Zimbabweans had the right to demonstrate.
Some protesters were permitted greater freedom than others. In preparation for this year’s general election, Zimbabwean courts have handed down a series of harsh sentences to political activists.
Last Monday, Dangarembga protest leader Jacob Ngarivhume was arrested and sentenced to four years in prison for inciting violence.
Dangarembga’s “Nervous Conditions” won the African category of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize when it was first published in 1989. Her book “This Mournable Body” was nominated for the Booker Prize in 2020
