Zimbabwean Pastor Released from Prison

 

A pastor in Zimbabwe was recently released from prison after being arrested in December for staging a one-man demonstration against President Robert Mugabe.

45 yeay old Patrick Mugadza, travelled 300 miles to protest outside a luxury hotel in Victoria Falls where Mr Mugabe and 6,000 delegates from his Zanu PF party were holding an annual conference.

He silently held up a poster on which he had written: "Mr President, the people are suffering."

Mr Mugadza, a father of two, was arrested and taken to the Victoria Falls Police Station where he was charged with creating a “criminal nuisance" and granted bail of £400, which the pastor could not afford to pay.

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights appealed to the court and he was eventually let out after 16 days under £40 bail.

Mr Mugadza, said he had “no regrets” about his protest and time in prison. “Being in prison in the first place was a violation of my rights," he said. "It was not constitutional, but that will not stop me."

In an interview with New Zimbabwe.com, Mr Mugadza said he shared a police cell with 17 others.

"If you have seen the historical books when people were taken in for slavery, the way they were being chained and all that. That’s how we were sleeping. It was terrible, and Victoria Falls is very hot,"