R2K Statement on the Zim 6

Yesterday six Zimbabweans where found guilty of “inciting public disorder”. Their crime: Screened a film about the 2011 uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

When delivering the guilty verdict the magistrate told the court: “Watching a video like the one in question is not a crime. But the manner of watching had no good intention. The video was meant to arouse feelings of hostility among those watching.” Sentencing takes place this morning (20 March 2012) and the convicted face sentences of up to 10 year in jail.

The Right2Know Campaign is deeply concerned about this attack on the right to know in Zimbabwe. We fully agree with Munyaradzi Gwisai, one of the convicted Zimbabweans, who told the court that the charges are “meaningless”, “outright silly” and “a case of political harassment by the state”.

Gwisai reports that “To the ordinary people, this is not surprising. This is a staple of what is happening in Africa and across the world. So we take it as it comes, the struggle continues.”

The South African Right2Know Campaign pledges our solidarity with our brothers and sisters fighting for their rights in Zimbabwe and around the world.