On January 30, 2024, former opposition leader, Job Sikhala, was released after 595 days of arbitrary detention. Job Sikhala was arrested on June 14, 2022, and convicted on May 3, 2023, for obstruction of justice and given a suspended six-month sentence with an option of paying US$600 as a fine. On January 30, 2024, he was convicted and sentenced to a suspended two-year prison term under a law that no longer exists after he was accused of posting a video on Facebook claiming that a police officer had killed a baby. The Zimbabwean authorities must immediately overturn Job Sikhala’s convictions and sentence and stop weaponizing the criminal justice system to target, harass, and intimidate opposition leaders.
take action:
- Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
- Click here to let us know the actions you took on Second Urgent Action 90.22. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.
contact information:
President of the Republic of Zimbabwe
Emmerson Mnangagwa
Office of the President
Munhumutapa Building
Samora Machel Avenue
Private Bag 7700, Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe
Email: [email protected]
Embassy of Zimbabwe in the United States
His Excellency Ambassador Tadeous T. Chifamba
1608 New Hampshire Avenue, NW,
Washington DC 20009
Email: [email protected]
sample letter:
Your Excellency,
While I welcome his release from unlawful detention, I am concerned about the harassment and intimidation of opposition member of parliament, Job Sikhala through the justice system. Job Sikhala was arrested with fellow opposition leader, Godfrey Sithole, and 14 other men (collectively known as the ‘Nyatsime 16’) on June 14, 2022. They were charged with ‘obstructing justice’ and ‘incitement to commit violence and disorderly conduct’.
On May 3, 2023, Job Sikhala was convicted and fined for ‘obstructing justice’, which was overturned in November 2023. However, Job Sikhala remained in prison, awaiting trial for the incitement to commit violence and disorderly conduct charges. On January 30, he received a suspended two-year prison sentence for incitement to commit violence and was subsequently released after 595 days of pretrial detention. On February 15, Job Sikhala received a nine-month suspended prison sentence for charges of ‘false statements prejudicial to the state”. Meanwhile, Godfrey Sithole and the other 14 men in the ‘Nyatsime 16’ case were granted bail in November 2023, but the 14 men will stand trial on politically motivated ‘incitement to commit violence and disorderly conduct’ charges. Godfrey Sithole was convicted of incitement to commit violence and given a suspended two-year prison sentence.
I call on you to ensure that the convictions of Job Sikhala and Godfrey Sithole are immediately quashed and to end the intimidation and harassment against them and other opposition leaders. Additionally, I urge you to drop all charges against the other 14 men arrested whose trial is ongoing.
Yours sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
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