Following the arrest of human rights activist Pastor Evan Mawarire in Zimbabwe at the beginning of February, US ambassador Harry Thomas said the situation was concerning.
Shortly after releasing an official statement on Monday, Secretary for Information‚ Media and Broadcasting Services George Charamba fired back.
“He thinks he can boss over us. They can go and hang on a banana tree,” he told state owned newspaper, The Herald.
Mawarire has spent six months in self-imposed exile in the United States after charges of treason were brought against him last year. Though the charges did not stand, Mawarire feared for his life and left Zimbabwe mid 2016.
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According to CNN, Human rights group Amnesty International Thursday called for his immediate release.
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