HARARE – Zimbabwe’s High Court on Wednesday freed on bail journalist Hopewell Chin’ono who had spent nearly three weeks in prison — his third detention in five months.
Chin’ono repeatedly expressed fears of catching COVID-19 in jail due to the overcrowded conditions in Chikurubi prison and charges that his repeated imprisonments are harassment by a government rattled by his social media posts exposing alleged corruption.
A magistrate had initially denied him bail mid-January, saying Chin’ono could commit similar crimes if released, citing two other cases in which, like the current one, the journalist was arrested for items he posted on Twitter.