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Open“There Must Be Consequences”: UK Peer Slams Mnangagwa Over Jailed Journalist
A British parliamentarian has said there must be consequences for President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government over the continued detention of journalist Blessed Mhlanga, who has now spent two months in custody.
Mhlanga was arrested on 24 February 2025, after conducting interviews with war veteran Blessed Geza, a vocal critic of Mnangagwa’s administration. He has been charged under Section 164 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, accused of sending messages that allegedly incited violence.
On Wednesday, Lord Johnny Oates, a member of the House of Lords, the upper chamber of the UK Parliament, urged British lawmakers to challenge Mnangagwa’s wife, Auxillia, over Mhlanga’s imprisonment and her husband’s reported plans to extend his term in office during her visit to the UK in June. He said:
In Zimbabwe, a country close to my heart, media freedom has been under siege for decades now. Journalists are regularly intimidated, detained and, on occasion, murdered. Printing presses have been blown up and public dissent silenced.
As we speak, the journalist Blessed Mhlanga has been detained for 59 days and denied his constitutional right to bail. His crime is having the temerity to conduct an interview with a former war veteran who opposes President Mnangagwa’s desire to extend his term in office and has highlighted the criminal corruption of the regime and the president’s family.
I note that the president’s wife is due to speak at a summit in London in June. I hope that members of our parliament who are choosing to take part will challenge Zimbabwe’s first lady on the continued detention of Blessed Mhlanga and the overall brutality of the regime she represents, and I hope the government will continue to make clear that there will be no resumption of normal relations with Zimbabwe while the ZANU PF regime continues to detain journalists, deny media freedom and defy democratic norms.
As the noble Baroness, Lady Mobarik, said in her excellent speech, there must be consequences for such actions.
The debate kicked off with Baroness Mobarik, who asked what the UK government is doing, especially as part of the Media Freedom Coalition, to protect journalists around the world.
Zimbabwe, still suspended from the Commonwealth, isn’t exactly making a strong case for re-admission, with ongoing human rights issues putting off several member states.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwean activists in the UK are gearing up for protests outside the FLAIR summit, where First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa is set to speak.
The protestors are planning to use the event to spotlight the country’s rights abuses and put pressure on both her and the government back home.
More: ZimLive
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