Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Transform Zimbabwe (TZ) leader Jacob Ngarivhume was on Thursday convicted of incitement to public violence by a Harare magistrate.
Ngarivhume and journalist Hopewell Chin’ono were arrested in July 2020.
Speaking soon after the arrest of the duo, Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said:
The Zimbabwe Republic Police confirms that Jacob Ngarivhume of Transform Zimbabwe and Hopewell Chin’ono have been arrested in connection with allegations of Contravening Section 187(1)(a) as read with section 37(1)(a)(i) of the Criminal Law [Codification and Reform] Act, Chapter 9:23, “incitement to participate in public violence’.
Posting on Twitter this Thursay, Chin’ono said Ngarivhume will be sentenced on Friday. He said:
Zimbabwean politician, Jacob Ngarivhume has been convicted of incitement this afternoon at the magistrates court. He will be sentenced tomorrow.
Ngarivhume was arrested on 20 July 2020 together with myself for allegedly inciting Zimbabweans to remove the Government.
The trumped charges were mere political persecution.
My lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa chose a different route to Ngarivhume’s lawyers by challenging the charges in the High Court where they were thrown out and labeled bogus.
Ngarivhume was granted bail by High Court judge Justice Musithu in September after spending 43 days in remand prison.
He has been an outspoken critic of the Government and has called for greater democracy and accountability in Zimbabwe.
In August 2021, Ngarivhume was briefly arrested by police officers from Matapi Police Station in Mbare who then held two trucks that were to be used for clean-up campaign in the suburb.
Incitement to public violence is defined as the act of urging, encouraging, or advocating for the use of violence by members of the public against other individuals or groups. The offense carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
The Government has been accused of using the charge of incitement to public violence to suppress dissent and opposition.
Several political activists, journalists, and other individuals who speak out against the ruling party or its policies have been arrested and charged with incitement to public violence.
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