HARARE — The High Court on Wednesday quashed the conviction and sentence of a former opposition lawmaker and lawyer who was fined US$500 for sharing a video that prosecutors said was false.
Fadzayi Mahere, was found guilty in April 2023 of “publishing or communicating falsehoods” prejudicial to the state.
She had posted a clip on X (then known as Twitter) of a woman with a motionless baby in her arms being confronted by a police officer in January 2021.
Mahere said the baby had been beaten to death by the officer, a claim that the state disputed.
The High Court judges, Benjamin Chikowero and Pisirayi Kwenda, ruled that Mahere had been charged under a non-existent law and upheld her appeal, according to Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), which represented her.
“We have just overturned the conviction and sentence of former Mount Pleasant constituency legislator and lawyer Fadzayi Mahere,” ZLHR said in a statement.
Mahere, who was also acquitted of a charge of inciting public violence, welcomed the ruling on X.
“The High Court confirmed that I was arrested, prosecuted and convicted on the basis of an offence that doesn’t exist,” she wrote. Kukurigo
