Activist detained over Zimbabwe unrest
HARARE, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe police armed with AK-47 rifles detained a prominent activist and pastor on Wednesday, part of the arrests of more than 600 people, in a harsh crackdown over protests against dramatic fuel price increases in the economically shattered country.
State security minister Owen Ncube announced the arrests on television and thanked security forces for “standing firm” in the face of the country’s most serious unrest since deadly postelection violence in August.
While some hungry Harare residents reported being tear-gassed by police when they ventured out for bread, President Emmerson Mnangagwa denounced what he called “wanton violence and cynical destruction.” He noted a right to protest and said he understands the “pain and frustration,” but he appeared to side with authorities who blame the opposition for unrest.
Pastor Evan Mawarire was clutching a Bible when police bundled him into their car in the capital. He had organized what became nationwide anti-government protests in 2016 against mismanagement and former President Robert Mugabe’s long stay in power.
“They are alleging that he incited violence through Twitter and other forms of social media in the central business district,” said Beatrice Mtetwa, the pastor’s lawyer.
There were widespread reports of violence as Zimbabwe faced a third day of protests over what has become the world’s most expensive gasoline.
The British minister for Africa, Harriett Baldwin, on Tuesday noted “worrying levels of violence” and urged restraint by Zimbabwe’s security forces.