Joint Statement By Tsitsi Dangarembga And Julie Barnes

Award-winning Zimbabwean novelist and filmmaker, Tsitsi Dangarembga and Julie Gabriel Barnes have issued a joint statement following their conviction on Thursday 29 September 2022 for inciting public violence. The charges were raised against them after protesting demanding the release of journalist Hopewell Chin’ono and opposition leader Jacob Ngarivhume in 2020. In a statement seen by Pindula News, the duo said they intend to appeal the ruling. We present the statement below:

STATEMENT by Tsitsi Dangarembga and Julie Barnes

Dear Friends in Zimbabwe and everywhere in the world, dearest family and relatives, it is with heavy hearts that we bring you news of our conviction for the charge of “attending a meeting with intent to incite public violence, breach of the peace or acts of bigotry”, as a result of exercising our constitutional rights as Zimbabwean citizens to freedom of expression, and to demonstrate or protest or petition the government peacefully, which we did on 31 July 2020 by walking down Borrowdale Road displaying posters. The first poster called for a better life for Zimbabweans and institutional reform in our country. The second poster called for the release of those who had exposed corruption in government in the media, and others who had encouraged citizens to protest, who had been imprisoned without bail and without trial. Tsitsi Dangarembga carried these two posters. The third poster, Julie’s, also requested freedom for journalists who had been arrested and imprisoned without bail or trial, and also called for a better Zimbabwe for all.

Our hearts are heavy at this outcome, because this conviction could set the precedent that a Zimbabwean – indeed a person in Zimbabwe – is not free to walk down a road with another citizen displaying peaceful messages that convey their opinions on issues that affect them as people living in this country. We must no longer joke that there is freedom of expression in Zimbabwe, but no freedom after expression. We must take this conviction as a warning sign that our freedom peacefully to express what we want as Zimbabweans in public discourse is being stripped away from us. We are being intimidated into silence and inaction as repression and corruption increase, and the quality of our lives, our hopes for our children’s lives and our children’s confidence in their futures decreases. Freedom, justice and a dignified life are our right as Zimbabwean inhabitants of our planet. We urge you all to stand peacefully for freedom, justice and dignity in our country at all times. We promise you that we will always do the same.

We intend to appeal.

God bless Zimbabwe, and God bless us all.

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