Czech tourist arrested in Zimbabwe over critical video on shortages

The Zimbabwean police arrested and prosecuted a Czech tourist who, in a video he recorded, complained about water and electricity supply problems in the country he visited for a vacation.

Czech tourist Lucas Slavik was staying in Masvingo, near the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, one of the country's biggest tourist attractions.

He shared a recording online in which he showed a group of people whose relative had just been hit by a car. In the video, he shared his opinions about Zimbabwe. He revealed that the country is experiencing constant water and electricity shortages and that prices are incredibly high due to the difficult economic situation. He was speaking in English, and since there were local police officers among the group loudly discussing the accident, he had terrible luck. They immediately handcuffed the Czech tourist and accused him of spreading lies. The man went to court.

The lawyer defending the Czech tourist argued in court that the law under which his client was being tried had long been declared non-binding and didn't even appear in the legal journal. Interestingly, during the trial, the lights in the courthouse went out because the city ran out of power. "Would it be a lie if someone now claimed that there is no power in the courthouse?" the Czech attorney, Knowledge Mabvure, immediately asked the judge.

He added that the facility where his client was staying indeed lacked water and electricity for several days.

According to local media reports, "the embassy of the Czech Republic in Zimbabwe is making frantic efforts to free its citizen" before the second trial, which was postponed to this week.

Zimbabwe has been struggling with electricity shortages for years. For several months, it has been almost completely cut off from power because its main source, the Kariba Dam shared with Zambia, has nearly dried up. In Harare, power outages last up to 20 hours.

Zimbabwe is scheduled to host the 44th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit from August 17. President Emmerson Mnangagwa will take over as chairman of this organization in connection with this event. The government has asked ZESA, the electricity provider, to ensure that several selected buildings do not run out of power during the summit. However, it is unclear if the summit will occur in the country.

Due to rampant human rights violations by the Zimbabwean authorities, the Democratic Alliance in South Africa called on SADC member states to take away Zimbabwe's chairmanship and move the summit to another country.