HARARE Magistrate Vongai Muchuchutu-Guwuriro on Wednesday 29 April 2020 set free Abraham Baison on ZWL$500 bail after he was arrested by Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) members for allegedly undermining authority of or insulting President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Baison, who was represented by Kossam Ncube of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, was arrested by ZRP members on Monday 27 April 2020, who charged him with undermining authority of or insulting President Mnangagwa as defined in section 33(2)(a)(i) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act when he allegedly criticised the ZANU PF party leader on Sunday 26 April 2020 while he was at his residence.
Baison, who appeared before Magistrate Muchuchutu-Guwuriro at Harare Magistrates Court, was granted ZWL$500 bail and ordered to report at Marlborough Police Station once a week on Fridays, not to interfere with any witnesses and to continue residing at his given residential address.
Baison returns to court on 3 June 2020.
Baison is the latest person to be arrested and charged with undermining authority of or insulting President Mnangagwa after he allegedly circulated a message on WhatsApp in which the ZANU PF party leader was accused of ineptitude.
On Friday 24 April 2020, Chrispen Rambu of Chipinge in Manicaland province, who is an opposition MDC Alliance party Councillor for Ward 8 in Chipinge urban constituency was charged with insulting and undermining authority of President Mnangagwa when he allegedly forwarded a message onto a local WhatsApp group giving praise to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the expense of Mnangagwa.
Source: Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
