Blessed Mhlanga has been denied bail by Zimbabwean magistrate Farai Gwatima and has been remanded in custody until March 14.
As I explained in the attached tweet before his bail ruling was delivered, he is clearly being persecuted.
Gwatima, acting on instructions from the top, said:
“The release of the accused would put the nation in unrest and undermine peace and security.”
It means Blessed now has to go to the High Court to apply for bail, so his persecution continues.
These are the very things that have turned Zimbabwe into a Banana Republic.
This is designed to instil fear in other journalists, especially the young ones.
Two weeks ago, I spoke to Blessed and advised him to prepare for this moment—he knew it could happen.
I also promised him that we would keep his case in the global consciousness, and we should all continue to do that.
We should also ignore the many sideshows that the regime will create through its social media propagandists and influencers.
