Hashtag trending on Twitter after government arrests activist

folarin okunola

July 13, 2016 9:45 AM

Pastor Evan Mawarire was recently arrested by the Zimbabwean government on allegation of "inciting public violence and disturbing the peace."

Evan Mawarire

As the turmoil in Zimbabwe continues to dwell on, the political atmosphere has become charged. Like it goes down in most African countries, the opposition, this time in the person of Pastor

Mawarire was recently arrested by the Zimbabwean government on allegation of "inciting public violence and disturbing the peace." The cleric is one of the proponents of the "Shut Down Zimbabwe" movement which has since become a much talked about situation on Twitter.

The Zimbabwean unrest has been on for some weeks with civil servants calling for a complete boycott of the service. Mawarire led a work boycott last week in solidarity for the cause - a better Zimbabwe.

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Another boycott has already been planned for this Wednesday, July 13, and Thursday, July 14 before Mawarire's arrest and detention.

Following the arrest, Zimbabweans took to Twitter to air their grievances and within a few hours, the hashtag #FreePastorEvan had already begun to trend.

Even people from South Africa also had something to say in the fight for Zimbabwean freedom.

The Zimbabwean government is yet to make a statement on the arrest and there is no word regarding the protests. Last week, WhatsApp reportedly went down in the country as civil unrest continues to loom.

folarin okunola