Czech tourist arrested over video on Zimbabwe power outages freed on bail

Lukas Slavia, a Czechoslovakian tourist, was granted US$500 bail by the High Court on Wednesday after spending 20 days in pretrial detention.

Slavia was arrested in Masvingo on August 1 for allegedly recording a video and making statements about Zimbabwe's electricity and water shortages, which authorities claimed were intended to incite public unrest.

The Masvingo Provincial Magistrate, Franklin Mkwananzi, had initially denied bail, citing a risk of flight. However, Czech Republic Deputy Ambassador Michael Novak provided surety, and arrangements were made for Slavia to stay at the Czech Embassy's consulate in Harare under the supervision of Honorary Consulate Ivan Summerfield.

Slavia's lawyer, Knowledge Mabvuure from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), argued that the charge was outdated and that the statements made by Slavia were not false. ZLHR expressed relief at securing Slavia's release, highlighting the end of his detention.