Zimbabwe Teenager Arrested For ‘Killing’ Mugabe on Facebook

HARARE – A teenager in Zimbabwe who wrote on his Facebook page that President Robert Mugabe had died and his body was being preserved in a freezer has been arrested.
The 18-year old from the Manicaland province in eastern Zimbabwe was charged with being discourteous to the president, who turns 90 next month.
Though the president’s spokesperson says the 89-year-old is fit and well, there have been rumours that he has fallen ill on his annual leave, and the Facebook posting reflects these reports.
The Private Standard newspaper says Gumisai Manduwa appeared in court in the eastern city of Mutare on Saturday and was been granted $30 dollars after lawyers from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights intervened.
It’s not clear who reported his posting, though the case will be a wake-up call for those in Zimbabwe who think social media is not as closely watched as the official press.
The constitutional court last year declared anti-insult laws to be unconstitutional, but the justice minister has appealed that ruling and for now, it appears the offence still stands.
Eye Witness News Zimbabwe