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Arrest of opposition MP for insulting Mugabe slammed

[Zimbabwe] President of Zimbabwe - Robert Mugabe. IRIN
The US says President Robert Mugabe's regime does not respect the rule of law
    JOHANNESBURG

    The arrest of a Zimbabwe opposition MP for allegedly insulting President Robert Mugabe has been slammed as yet another attempt by the state to silence its critics.

    Timothy Mubhawu, from the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), was arrested in the capital, Harare, on Tuesday night, under Zimbabwe's stringent laws against denigrating the head of state.

    He allegedly gave a lift to a group of soldiers on 3 March and asked them why "do you let Mugabe let you suffer?" A soldier reported the alleged statement to the police and Mubhawu was taken into custody.

    MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa told IRIN that Mubhawu was still in custody but was expected to appear in court soon. He said Mabhuwa denied the charges and "our lawyers are dealing with the matter".

    "They allege he degraded and derided the name of the president ... but this is merely part of the ongoing victimisation of opposition leaders in the country," Chamisa claimed.

    The divided MDC's "watershed" congress is scheduled to be held this weekend.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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