Female Zimbabwean politician fined for spreading false news on Twitter

A female politician and spokeswoman of Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC), Fadzayi Mahere, was on Wednesday charged to court and fined $500 for allegedly spreading false information on Twitter.

Mahere, a prominent lawyer and leader of the of the CCC which is challenging President Emmerson Mnangagwa in this year’s elections, was arrested two years ago after posting a video where a police officer was seen fatally striking a baby with a baton when in fact the child was alive and not injured, court heard.

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While delivering judgement, the judge said Mahere had undermined the authority of the police and should have verified the information before posting it on social media.

The prosecution had called for a jail term, but the judge disagreed and decided to fine Mahere because the controversial law under which she was convicted no longer exists in the country.

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