High Court Overturns Masaraure’s Conviction Over Protest Message
The High Court on Thursday, November 7, overturned the conviction of prominent trade unionist and president of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ), Obert Masaraure.
Justices Pisirayi Kwenda and Benjamin Chikowero annulled both Masaraure’s conviction and sentence following an appeal lodged by Tapiwa Muchineripi of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.
Masaraure had been convicted in May 2024 by Magistrate Feresi Chakanyuka, who fined him US$200 for allegedly posting a protest message on X (formerly Twitter) regarding the prosecution of ARTUZ secretary-general Robson Chere.
Masaraure had been charged with obstructing the course of justice, and Magistrate Chakanyuka gave him a two-month deadline to pay the fine, warning that failure to do so would result in a two-month prison sentence.
The case against Chere was linked to the 2016 death of ARTUZ member Roy Issa, who reportedly fell from the seventh floor of a Harare hotel.
Although an inquest ruled out foul play, the police later reopened the case and filed murder charges against both Masaraure and Chere.
