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.
We support the call for protest by the Ad-Hoc Defence Committee of the Zimbabwean 6, taking place between 12pm-1pm on Tuesday, 20 March 2012 in front of the Zimbabwean Consulate and Visa Office in Johannesburg, 13 Boeing Street West, Bedfordview.
For comment please contact:
R2K National coordinator Murray Hunter: 072 672 5468
R2K Gauteng Dale McKinley: 072 429 4086
R2K Western Cape Nkwame Cedile: 078 227 6008
R2K KZN Desmond D’Sa: 083 982 6939
R2K Eastern Cape Thembani Zion Onceya: 078 843 7478
