MDC-T MP for Chimanimani arrested for ‘denigrating’ Mugabe

Lynnette Karenyi, was on Monday arrested for allegedly branding Robert Mugabe ‘a gay who sleeps around with Jonathan Moyo.’

By Tichaona Sibanda
20 December 2011

The MDC-T legislator for Chimanimani West, Lynnette Karenyi, was on Monday arrested by the police in Mutare for allegedly branding Robert Mugabe ‘a gay who sleeps around with Jonathan Moyo.’

Karenyi, who is also the MDC’s Women’s Assembly organizing secretary, denies the charge. Police allege the MP uttered the words when she addressed a rally in her constituency two weeks ago. The event was at Nhedziwa business centre.

The MDC-T organising secretary for Manicaland and Musikavanhu constituency, legislator Prosper Mutseyami, told SW Radio Africa that the police phoned Karenyi when she was attending the party’s council meeting in Harare, Saturday.

‘She duly reported to the police at Mutare and she was immediately placed under arrest. She appeared in court on Tuesday and was granted a $200 bail by a Mutare magistrate,’ Mutseyami said.

However, the state invoked the notorious Section 121 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act, to deny her bail. She has been remanded to 28th December, meaning she will spend Christmas in police cells.

A statement by the MDC said the decision by the State to invoke Section 121 showed that the Attorney-General’s office continues to be used by ZANU PF for persecuting and not prosecuting MDC officials and supporters.

‘It vindicates the MDC’s position that cases against MDC members are 100 percent politics and zero percent law. MP Karenyi’s case is just but one of the several instances where the national institutions, such as the AG’s office have been abused by the sunset party, ZANU P,F to achieve its political ends,’ the statement said.