Donald Trump’s government has asked Mugabe’s administration to behave and respect human rights following the arrest of Evan Mawarire upon his return from the United States.
Mawarire is the second pastor to be jailed after another cleric Mugadza from Kariba Town was also locked up following his protests against Mugabe’s regime.
He made a prophecy suggesting that Mugabe would die on October 17 this year.
Trump has not minced his words on some of the world’s dictators, telling them to reform or leave office.
The US embassy in Harare issued a statement condemning the arrest of evangelical pastors Evan Mawarire and Phillip Patrick Mugadza, saying that freedom of expression was now under attack in Zimbabwe.
Mawarire was arrested last week at the Harare International Airport on his surprise return to the southern African country after spending six months in self-imposed exile, mostly in the United States. He was subsequently charged with attempting to subvert Mugabe’s constitutionally elected government.
Spokesperson of the US embassy in Harare, David Mcguire, described the arrest of Mawarire and Mugadza as “unwarranted”.
“The US government unequivocally believes in the basic right of freedom of speech and calls on the government of Zimbabwe to respect the human rights of all Zimbabweans which are enshrined in the constitution. We believe that the basic right of Zimbabweans to freedom of speech – be it in public, through print media or social media – should be protected within and outside Zimbabwe’s borders,” said Mcguire.
