Another long weekend for Chin'ono, Ngarivhume
INCARCERATED journalist Hopewell Chin’ono will spend another long weekend in remand prison after a Harare magistrate directed that his application for bail be made on August 12. Chin’ono, who is facing allegations of incitement to cause public violence and breach of peace or bigotry, had yesterday appeared before magistrate Ngoni Nduna for routine remand. Chin’ono was arrested on July 20 together with opposition Transform Zimbabwe leader Jacob Ngarivhume. Before his arrest, Chin’ono had exposed corruption by top government officials which led to the arrest and subsequent dismissal of Health minister Obadiah Moyo last month.
The State alleges that sometime between March 1 and July 20, 2020, while in Harare, Chin’ono, “intending to persuade or induce other persons or realising that there was a real risk or probability that by such communication other persons may be persuaded or induced to engage in public violence or participate in gatherings that would disturb peace, posted numerous messages on his Twitter handle @daddyhope.”
The State alleged that in the messages, Chin’ono intended to persuade the Zimbabwean populace to commit the crime of public violence and to participate in gatherings with intent to promote public violence, breach of peace and bigotry.
High Court judge Justice Tawanda Chitapi also dismissed Ngarivhume's bail appeal, saying he was a flight risk.