Author Dangarembga found guilty in Zimbabwe rights protest

By FARAI MUTSAKA
Associated Press

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — World-renowned author Tsitsi Dangarembga has been found guilty of promoting public violence in her home country of Zimbabwe for participating in a largely peaceful anti-government protest in 2020. She was fined around $120 and given a six-month suspended jail sentence on Thursday. Dangarembga and another woman were arrested after walking down a street holding a placard that read “We want better. Reform Our Institutions.” The 63-year-old author of the prize-winning “Nervous Conditions” trilogy said she would appeal her conviction. Rights groups had criticized the charges against Dangarembga as part of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s attempts to silence opposition in the long-troubled southern African country.