(Last Updated on January 27, 2021 by GERALD NCUBE)
HARARE – High Court judge Justice Davison Foroma today granted Hopewell Chin’ono Z$20 000 bail, ending 20 days of detention at Chikurubi Maximum Prison for the veteran journalist.
Chin’ono was arrested on the 8th of January on allegations of communicating falsehoods after he commented on a widely circulated video which purported a police officer had fatally struck a baby with a baton stick in Harare.
He is being represented by Harrison Nkomo and Paida Saurombe from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)
Doug Coltart from ZLHR announced the news on his Twitter platform.
“Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono has been granted bail by the High Court ending his 20-day incarceration at Chikurubi Maximum Prison. Bail conditions the same as his first case plus an additional ZWL $20,000. @daddyhope is expected to be released later today,” wrote Coltart.
Justice Foroma ruled that conditions set for Chin’ono’s previous bail still applied.
Chin’ono joins MDC Alliance spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere who is also out on bail facing similar charges while Job Sikhala’s bail appeal hearing is yet to kickstart following his arrest on similar allegations.
Legal experts have condemned the arrest of the trio on these charges on the basis that the law used for these arrests was nullified in 2014 by the Constitutional Court.