By Amnesty International
Amnesty International notes the acquittal and discharge of opposition activist Godfrey Karembera, who spent eight months in detention while facing charges of “incitement to commit public violence.”
Karembera’s case is just one example of an alarming increase in the misuse of the justice system to target, intimidate, and harass opposition leaders, human rights defenders, activists, journalists, and other critical voices.
Godfrey should never have been deprived of his liberty in the first place, and the grave injustice he suffered is a stark reminder of the human cost of prolonged pre-trial detention.
Amnesty International calls on the Zimbabwean authorities to respect, protect, and fulfil the right to a fair trial, and to ensure that detention is never used as a form of punishment before conviction.