Zimbabwe High Court Orders restoration of the Internet

On 21 January, the High Court of Zimbabwe ordered the government to restore full Internet in the country. The government had ordered blacking out of social media services following countrywide protests over a hike in fuel prices. Local NGO Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA) who sued the government together with Zimbabwean Lawyers for Human Rights reported that the court had ruled that the Minister of State for National Security did not have authority to issue directives under the country’s Interception of Communications Act. During the reign of former President Robert Mugabe who was ousted in November 2017, Zimbabwe had periodically shut down the Internet when there were political protests.