Tsitsi Dangarembga, an award-winning Zimbabwean author and Booker Prize nominee, has been released on bail after her arrest during an anti-government protest.
Eleven other people detained on Friday - including Fadzayi Mahere, a lawyer and spokeswoman for the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change-Alliance party - were also freed on Saturday.
They were ordered to return to court on September 18.
Dangarembga was charged with incitement to commit violence and breaching anti-coronavirus health regulations after staging a two-woman demonstration in the capital on Friday, the day of planned protests against corruption and a deepening economic crisis.
But the streets of Harare, as well as of the second city of Bulawayo, remained deserted as hundreds of soldiers and police officers were deployed to prevent the outlawed demonstrations.
On the previous day, police had warned anyone attending would "only have themselves to blame" while President Emmerson Mnangagwa denounced the planned rallies as "an insurrection to overthrow our democratically elected government".
Dangarembga was carrying placards calling for reforms and the release of Hopewell Chin'ono, a prominent journalist arrested last week under a government crackdown,
"Friends, here is a principle. If you want your suffering to end, you have to act. Action comes from hope. This the principle of faith and action," she had written on Twitter before her arrest, which came days after her latest novel, This Mournable Body, entered the long list for the prestigious Booker Prize.
In a statement of on Friday, Amnesty International said, "The brutal assault on political activists and human rights defenders who have had the courage to call out alleged corruption and demand accountability from their government is intensifying."
"The persecution of these activists is a blatant abuse of the criminal justice system and mockery of justice."
UK Ambassador Melanie Robinson expressed concern over reports of abductions, arrests and threats targeting those exercising their rights.
Mnangagwa came to power after a military takeover overthrew President Robert Mugabe, who had ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years.
The president, who won a disputed July 2018 election, promised a new start and a revival of the country's shattered economy by attracting foreign investment.
But popular anger has grown as Zimbabwe suffers a severe economic crisis marked by hyperinflation, a local currency that is rapidly depreciating against the US dollar and acute foreign exchange shortages. An estimated 90 percent of Zimbabweans are without formal employment.
Mnangagwa has also been accused of employing the heavy-handed tactics of his predecessor against political opponents, including banning protests and abducting and arresting critics.
Critics also say Mnangagwa is exploiting a COVID-19 lockdown to stifle dissent, after he imposed an overnight curfew and restricted free movement last week.
As of Saturday, Zimbabwe has registered 3,169 confirmed coronavirus cases and 67 related deaths, according to data collected by the Johns Hopkins University. More than 1,000 people have recovered.
Latest Stories
-
19 steps for getting over even the most devastating breakup fast
54 mins -
8th Ghana CEO Summit launched with focus on AI transformation, economic diversification
56 mins -
Prof Opoku-Agyemang has not been given a fair appraisal – Ablakwa
1 hour -
Rainstorm wreaks havoc in Keta and Anloga districts, residents count their losses
1 hour -
Global Plastics Treaty negotiations begin in Ottawa as countries converge on phasing out problematic plastic uses
1 hour -
Support energy alternatives adoption to sustain businesses – GUTA tells government
2 hours -
11th DRIF opens in Accra with a call on governments to focus on digital inclusion
2 hours -
Stakeholders outline plans at RE4C Coalition’s General Assembly in Accra
2 hours -
Women Need ‘shock observers’ for active political participation – Ex-Bauchi Assembly Member
2 hours -
2024 polls: Stop fighting over positions in Mahama’s next government – Asiedu Nketiah
2 hours -
Although people may not always listen to the lyrics, there’s still a market for rap in Ghana – E.L.
2 hours -
Passengers appeal to transport operators to officially announce new fares
2 hours -
Damongo: About 400 NPP Members resign over Minister’s alleged meddling in chieftaincy affairs
3 hours -
Next NDC government will pay special attention to women – Naana Opoku-Agyemang
3 hours -
Amerado is singing and it’s good he’s doing that – Lyrical Joe
3 hours