A
church pastor is in serious trouble after he was arrested as he arrived
the country over allegations that he planned to overthrow the
President.
Pastor Evan Mawarire
Evan Mawarire, the Zimbabwean pastor, accused last year of trying
to overthrow President Robert Mugabe’s government after calling for
protests, was arrested at the airport when he flew home from the United
States on Wednesday, his lawyer said.
Mawarire was previously arrested and charged last July, but was
freed by a magistrate’s court which said police had not followed
procedure.
Harrison Nkomo, his lawyer, said the pastor was arrested at
Harare’s airport and was taken to the capital’s central police station.
Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba confirmed Mawarire’s arrest,
saying he had an outstanding warrant after failing to appear in court
last year. She did not provide more details.
“The law will always catch up with you even if you go away. Mawarire had a warrant of arrest against him,” Charamba said.
After he was freed by the court in July, police had said they still
wanted to file more charges against Mawarire. He traveled to South
Africa and then the United States, where he had been living with his
family since July.
His absence drew condemnation from supporters, who accused him of abandoning them when his leadership was needed.
Mawarire rose to fame after posting a video online last year that
went viral, venting his anger about deteriorating social and economic
conditions in Zimbabwe and urging citizens to hold the government to
account.
The preacher’s social media movement #ThisFlag rattled Mugabe’s
administration, leading to accusations by the state against Mawarire of
inciting public violence.
-NAN
No comments:
Post a Comment