On Friday, a Zimbabwe court sentenced opposition politician Jacob Ngarivhume to four years in prison for inciting public violence through a tweet he posted on Twitter in 2020.
In the tweet, Ngarivhume called for anti-government protests across the country over corruption and the state of the economy.
The court ruled that a fine or suspended sentence would not be enough to deter future offenders, setting a precedent for similar cases. Ngarivhume will serve three years behind bars, with one year set aside on condition of good behavior.
This comes as popular opposition politician Job Sikhala awaits judgment next week after being in prison for over 300 days for allegedly inciting violence during a speech.
The ruling party, Zanu-PF, has been accused of using intimidation tactics to silence dissenting voices during elections. The government is facing widespread discontent as it struggles to ease poverty, end power cuts, and curb unemployment.
