After more than two weeks in prison, multiple court appearances, and fears of Covid-19 and bronchitis infection, prominent investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono was granted bail today.
High Court Judge Justice Tawanda Chitapi granted bail to Hopewell Chin’ono who is being charged with obstructing the course of justice.
This development was announced by one of his lawyers Doug Coltart on his Twitter handle
Chitapi granted Chin’ono an appeal for bail today after he was denied bail last week by Harare regional magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa. Judge Justice Chitapi went on to accuse magistrate Gofa of misdirecting herself when she claimed Chin’ono had a propensity to commit crimes.
The objective of the remand process is not to find the accused guilty or not.”
“The learned magistrate was grossly misdirected when she referred that the accussed person was guilty on a reasonable suspicion basis,” he said
In granting him bail, Judge Chitapi did not add new bail conditions except that Hopewell Chin’ono should not use Twitter to obstruct the course of justice.
Chin’ono is set to be guided by the bail conditions he was given when he was charged with inciting violence in connection with the 31st July protests.
Zimbabwean prominent freelance journalist and documentary filmmaker, Hopewell Chin’ono has been freed on bail is expected to be released later this evening.
Granting bail, High Court judge Justice Chitapi found that Magistrate Gofa grossly misdirected herself in denying the journalist bail.
The CNN Africa Journalist of the year award winner was arrested over two weeks ago over a tweet in which he suggested that Zimbabwe Mining Federation president, Ms Henrietta Rushwaya, charged with gold smuggling would be released on bail.
The state argued that the tweet was an obstruction of justice and was in violation of the journalist’s bail conditions for his incitement of violence case.
His arrest over 2 weeks ago was the 2nd time he’d been arrested this year after he was arrested on 20 July for rallying the citizenry to participate in the foiled 31 July anti-corruption protests which had been convened by Jacob Ngarivhume of opposition Transform Zimbabwe
