NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – A prominent Zimbabwean journalist accused of reporting forgeries has been sent to solitary confinement after being found likely to be exposed to people with COVID-19 before his arrest.
Zimbabwean police arrested Hopewell Chin’ono on Friday for the third time in five months. The latest arrest comes after he wrote on Twitter that police beat a child to death while enforcing COVID-19 blocking rules this week. Police later said the information was false.
On Saturday, his lawyers upheld his release, saying his arrest was illegal, but the court could not finish hearing the arguments and arrested him on remand.
His lawyer, Harrison Nkomo, said Chin’ono could have been exposed to people who tested positive for COVID-19 during a recent visit to South Africa – a reason why he should be allowed to stay home. .
The prosecution, on the other hand, claimed that his exposure was a reason to send him to pre-trial detention “to keep everyone safe” until he undergoes a medical examination.
Magistrate Lazini Ncube ordered Chin’ono to be transported to prison separately from the other prisoners and to be kept in solitary confinement while his offer of freedom continues to be heard on Monday.
The magistrate said Chin’ono should be offered blankets and hot water, conditions that were not available during his previous prison terms, according to his lawyers.
Prior to his most recent arrest, Chin’ono was released on bail on charges of inciting violence after voicing support for a July anti-government protest and also contempt for court charges for alleged corruption allegations. the national criminal investigation agency.
Chin’ono is one of the most prominent critics of Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration, accusing him of corruption and human rights abuses. The government denies the allegations.
Prior to his arrest in July, Chin’ono posted a Twitter account alleging corruption involving a $ 60 million purchase of protective equipment for health care workers.
Mnangagwa later fired the health minister, who was officially accused of corruption. Chin’ono and his supporters say he is targeted for exposure by the government registry. The government and the ruling party accuse him of going out to tarnish Mnangagwa’s image.