Evan Mawarire is a civil rights activist and pastor whose April 2016 Facebook protest video against political repression and the worsening economic crisis in Zimbabwe went viral and inspired the #ThisFlag campaign, which resulted in a mass movement of Zimbabweans shutting down the capital in a series of protests against corruption and abuses by Robert Mugabe’s regime. Mawarire was charged with inciting public violence and “attempting to overthrow the government.” The court later threw out the charges and released him. Mawarire is the Director for Education at the Renew Democracy Initiative and the host of the “Frontlines of Freedom” podcast, which highlights dissidents confronting authoritarianism globally.
