Zimbabwe Releases Opposition and Journalist

The High Court in Zimbabwe has granted bail, on strict conditions, to detained journalist Hopewell Chin’ono. Chin’ono has been in custody for 45 days on charges of inciting public violence. Chin’ono is reported to be unwell; his doctor suspects he may have coronavirus, contracted while in jail. Zimbabwean opposition politician Jacob Ngarivhume has been granted bail in his fourth attempt since being detained on July 20 after calling for anti-government protests against corruption and the country’s economic crisis. High Court judge Siyabona Musithu on Wednesday granted Ngarivhume’s appeal against the ruling of a lower court that had denied him bail and said, “The magistrate erred.” The politician was ordered to pay $138, surrender his passport and report to the police three times a week. Ngarivhume was arrested on the same day as prominent journalist Hopewell Chin’ono and charged with inciting the public to commit violence. The two men have denied the allegations. Chin’ono, who had tweeted his support for the protests, was also released on Wednesday and ordered to pay bail of $120 by the High Court, which declared that a magistrate who had earlier denied Chin’ono bail had been “misdirected” in his decision. Both men were ordered not to post anything on social media, as part of strict conditions imposed by the court. For most of the past 45 days, the two have been held at Harare’s notorious Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA