Court to rule on pastor’s bail bid

HARARE (Reuters): A Zimbabwean activist pastor detained in a security crackdown following violent anti-government protests asked the High Court on Friday to release him on bail but the judge said he would only be able to make a decision next week. Protests erupted in mid-January following a hike in fuel prices and lasted for several days.

Security forces dispersed demonstrations by force and cracked down on activists, leading to fears that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government is reverting to the strong-arm politics seen during Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule. Evan Mawarire, a pastor who rose to prominence as a critic of Mugabe and led a national shutdown in 2016, denies accusations that his Facebook video encouraging Zimbabweans to heed a strike call by the Zimbabwe Confederation of Trade Unions incited people to violence. Mawarire, who remains in detention at Chikurubi Maximum Prison in Harare, was not present at Friday’s hearing. He is one of at least 100 in the capital and other cities who faced court proceedings on public order charges in Harare and other cities on Friday, lawyers said. Lawyer Tonderai Batasara told the court that Mawarire was willing to surrender title deeds to his parents’ home, his passport and deposit $500 with the court and make weekly reports to the police as part of conditions for his release.