Zimbabwe protest pastor Mawarire to appear before Harare court

The trial of Pastor Evan Mawarire, the activist behind the THIS Flag protest against Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe resumes on Thursday.

The activist was arrested by police in February while returning from a six-month exile in South Africa where he had fled after he had been briefly locked up.

Although not affiliated with any political party, Mawarire has announced that he was considering running for the 2018 general election against President Mugabe.

The pastor made a name for himself in April 2016 by publishing a video that quickly became viral on the Internet in which he appeared with the Zimbabwean flag in a sling to denounce the corruption of the regime and the difficult living conditions of the population.

Repression of opponents in Zimbabwe is frequent and the outcome of the activist pastor’s trial will be closely followed by the population.

Mawarire is accused of violence and attempted sabotage of the government.

The prosecution also alleges that the activist used social media to urge Zimbabweans across the globe to revolt against President Robert Mugabe.