The Zimbabwean government has reacted in a rather unfamiliar way after the US government condemned the continued detention of two pastors who led an anti-Mugabe protest in 2016 on the charges of treason and abuse of people of a certain race and religion.
Pastor Evan Mawarire earlier led an anti-Mugabe protest popularly known as the #ThisFlag protest which started on social media calling on the president to step down. Subsequently, he was arrested and charged with treason, an attempt to overthrow a constitutional government, as well as disrespecting the flag. Mawarire was arrested and detained shortly after the protest but was released after a judge threw out the prosecutor’s application for a change of charges. Mawarire subsequently fled the country, citing his unguaranteed safety in Zimbabwe. He was arrested again last week at the Harare airport as he returned from the United States of America.
The other pastor, Phillip Patrick Mugadza, was arrested after he released a video containing a prophetic message on Mugabe’s death. He was arrested on January 16 and has since been charged with abuse of a people of particular age, race, and religion.
In a statement through the official handle of the US embassy in Harare, the US government expressed concern at the violation of the right to freedom of speech of Zimbabweans, especially the detained pastors.
The government of the Southern African nation has now fired back at the United States government, questioning the moral right of the USA to intervene on any issue of human right violation. In a statement, the Secretary of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, George Charamba described the USA as the worst human right violator in the world. He also reduced their actions as only an attempt to save Mwarire whom he described as a US agent. He as well blamed the current economic crisis in the country on the economic sanctions imposed on them by the Obama Administration, while stressing that the Mugabe cabinet is waiting to know the path of relations new president, Donald Trump, will take.
The recent statement echoes the sentiments of a number of African leaders who voted to leave the international criminal court at the 28th Summit of the African Union. The leaders cited western imperialism and persecution aimed at African leaders as their reasons. They as well stated that the ICC has failed to bring to book leaders of countries outside Africa that have engaged in war crimes and committed crimes against Humanity
There has been a dissonance between the US and the Mugabe led after the 2011 Arab spring which saw a number of African long-standing rulers overthrown. Mugabe has since blamed the West for the uprising while also alleging attempts by world powers at unseating him.
