FREE BLESSED MHLANGA NOW

Today is a sad day for our country because it marks 50 days since journalist Blessed Mhlanga was put in jail. He is not in jail because he did something wrong. He is in jail because he was doing his job. He was reporting the news, and for that, he was arrested and locked up like a criminal. This is unfair. This is wrong. This is an attack on freedom.

Mhlanga is being kept at Harare Remand Prison. Anyone who knows this place knows it is one of the worst prisons in Zimbabwe. The prison is overcrowded. It is dirty. There is a lot of disease. People do not get enough food, and many struggle to breathe inside the small, packed cells. It is not a place for any human being. And it is especially not a place for a man who has not been found guilty of any crime.

He has gone to court many times to ask for bail, but every time the courts say no. Bail is something that allows someone to wait for their trial outside prison. But in Zimbabwe, the law is often used as a weapon. It is used to punish people before they are even tried in court. That is what is happening to Blessed Mhlanga. He is being punished before he is found guilty. He is being used to scare other journalists so that they stop reporting the truth.

This story is not only about one man. It is about freedom of the press. It is about the right of every journalist in Zimbabwe to do their work without fear. Today, many journalists are afraid. They are scared of being arrested. They are scared of being beaten. They are scared of being thrown in jail like Mhlanga. But journalists are important. They tell the truth. They show people what is happening in the country. Without journalists, people live in darkness because they cannot know what the government is doing.

Zimbabwe has a long and sad history of breaking human rights. Many people do not have basic freedoms. The government does not listen to the wishes of the people. Elections are not fair. The economy is broken. Prices keep going up. Jobs are very hard to find. Life is painful for many families. And through all this, one party, ZANU PF, has stayed in power since 1980. This is the same party that fought for independence, but today it is known for corruption, abuse, and fear. Many people now say Zimbabwe is no longer a free country. They say the government does whatever it wants and does not care about the people.

The arrest of Blessed Mhlanga shows how far things have fallen. It shows a government that is afraid of the truth. A government that wants silence. A government that does not want journalists to expose what is wrong. But journalists are not enemies. They are not criminals. They are just workers trying to tell the truth.

Mhlanga has not harmed anyone. He has not stolen anything. He has not broken any law. All he has done is write stories. But in Zimbabwe today, writing the truth can put you in prison. This is not normal. This is not right.

The world must pay attention. Human rights groups must speak out. Other countries must ask questions. Zimbabwe must respect freedom of the press. It must allow journalists to work without fear.

Fifty days is too long for an innocent man to sit in jail. It is time to let Blessed Mhlanga go home. He belongs with his family, not behind bars. Journalism is not a crime. Telling the truth is not a crime. But today in Zimbabwe, it feels like it is.

Let us not forget his name. Let us all stand together and say: Free Blessed Mhlanga.