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Zimbabwe cleric and activist Pastor Evan
Mawarire (C) speaks to the press as he arrives at
the Harare Magistrates Court on January 17,
2019, to appear in court, accused of inciting
violence through social media, after he was
arrested by armed police at his home in Harare
on January 16, in a widening security crackdown
after violent anti-government protests. Jekesai
NJIKIZANA / AFP
Zimbabwe on Friday blocked most social media
as international criticism mounted of a ruthless
security crackdown after anti-government
protests.
Police and soldiers have been accused of
indiscriminately dragging people from their homes
and beating them.
Several hundred people have been arrested and
doctors say they have treated scores of victims
for serious gunshot injuries.
The United Nations human rights office on Friday
urged Harare to “stop the crackdown”, voicing
alarm over the security forces’ “excessive use of
force” which included reports of them using live
ammunition.
And it urged Zimbabwe’s government “to find
ways of engaging with the population about their
legitimate grievances”.
Nationwide demonstrations erupted on Monday
after President Emmerson Mnangagwa said fuel
prices would double in a country which suffers
regular shortages of banknotes, fuel, food and
medicine.
The internet was entirely blocked until Friday
afternoon when some service was resumed.
Econet, the biggest internet provider, told
customers it had been ordered by the government
to re-open the internet “except for specified social
media applications.”
‘Communications Blackout’
MDC, the main opposition party, accused the
government of trying to suppress information
about the security operation, in which between
five and 16 people have been killed, activists say.
Accusing the government of “wanton violence”,
the party warned that the authorities were
“planning on further gross human rights violations
under the cover of the communications blackout”.
Mnangagwa, who succeeded ousted authoritarian
president Robert Mugabe in 2017, had promised a
fresh start for Zimbabwe after decades of
repression and economic decline.
But his election victory in July was tainted by
accusations of fraud, and hopes for a new chapter
were dashed when troops opened fire on
protesters in Harare, killing several, even before
the results were announced.
‘Disproportionate Force’
The EU on Thursday joined the US and Britain in
criticising the authorities’ response to the latest
protests.
“The escalation of violence in Zimbabwe over
recent days has been aggravated by the
disproportionate use of force by security
personnel,” European Commission spokeswoman
Maja Kocijancic said in a statement.
“The shutdown of access to the internet should
also be reversed.”
The US embassy in Harare said it was “alarmed
by credible reports that security forces are
targeting and beating political activists and labour
leaders”.
Leading Zimbabwean activist Evan Mawarire was
on Friday remanded in custody until January 31
on charges of subverting the government and
inciting violence, apparently after backing this
week’s national strike on social media.
Wearing his trademark Zimbabwe flag around his
neck, he appeared pensive in the dock of Harare
magistrates court as his supporters murmured
their disapproval at the judge’s ruling.
Mnangagwa – Mugabe’s former deputy — has
vowed to revive the country’s shattered economy
by attracting foreign investment, but shortages
have recently worsened.
He is on an overseas investment tour that started
in Russia and will end with him mixing with world
leaders at the Davos summit in Switzerland next
week.
The president, 76, told state broadcaster ZBC,
that no leader could “have their security (forces)
go to sleep when shops are being looted”.
Economic Crisis
Inflation in Zimbabwe has risen to 40 percent —
its highest rate since hyperinflation wrecked the
economy 10 years ago and the country adopted
the US dollar as its currency.
For months, long queues lasting hours or even
days have formed outside petrol stations and
banks, where both fuel and cash are rationed.
With US dollar notes scarce, Zimbabweans are
forced to withdraw “bond notes” — supposedly
equal to US dollars but worth far less in reality.
Mugabe, now 94, ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years
from independence from Britain until he was
ousted in November 2017.
The military, fearing that Mugabe’s wife Grace
was being lined up to succeed him, seized control
and forced him to resign before ushering
Mnangagwa to power.
Source:
www.channelstv.com/2019/01/19/
zimbabwe-blocks-social-media-as-crackdown-
intensifies/