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Faber and PEN International have come out in support of 2020 Booker shortlisted novelist Tsitsi Dangarembga, who has been given a suspended prison sentence after staging a peaceful protest by carrying placards calling for reform.
On 29th September 2022, a magistrates court in Zimbabwean capital Harare sentenced the renowned author, filmmaker, and activist and her co-defendant, Julie Barnes, to six months in jail and a fine of 70,000 Zimbabwe dollars (£200). The sentence has been suspended for the next five years on the condition the pair do not commit the offence again.
In a statement, the pair said their posters had called for a better life for Zimbabweans and institutional reform in our country, alongside the "release of those who had exposed corruption in government in the media, and others who had encouraged citizens to protest, who had been imprisoned without bail and without trial".
They said: "Our hearts are heavy at this outcome, because this conviction could set the precedent that a Zimbabwean – indeed a person in Zimbabwe – is not free to walk down a road with another citizen displaying peaceful messages that convey their opinions on issues that affect them as people living in this country. We must no longer joke that there is freedom of expression in Zimbabwe, but no freedom after expression. We must take this conviction as a warning sign that our freedom peacefully to express what we want as Zimbabweans in public discourse is being stripped away from us.
"We are being intimidated into silence and inaction as repression and corruption increase, and the quality of our lives, our hopes for our children’s lives and our children’s confidence in their futures decreases. Freedom, justice and a dignified life are our right as Zimbabwean inhabitants of our planet. We urge you all to stand peacefully for freedom, justice and dignity in our country at all times. We promise you that we will always do the same."
A spokesperson for PEN International said the organisation was "shocked by this news and strongly condemns the systematic misuse of the rule of law by the Zimbabwean authorities to harass, intimidate, and punish Dangarembga and Barnes, simply because they exercised their legitimate right to freedom of expression".
Their conviction follows a long-running period of legal persecution. In August 2020 the pair were summoned to court accused of inciting public violence and breaching Covid-19 health regulations, after being arrested without charge or explanation while peacefully calling for political reform on a deserted street.
Faber has previously supported the author’s activism and said Dangarembga and Barnes intend to appeal against the court’s decision. A spokesperson for the publisher said Faber "strongly condemns" the conviction, and "stands side by side with Tsitsi Dangarembga and Julie Barnes".
Dangarembga ’s books include This Mournable Body, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and Black and Female, an essay collection Faber published in August 2022.