NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – A prominent Zimbabwean journalist accused of communicating untruths has been sent to prison after it was revealed that he had likely been exposed to people with COVID-19 prior to his arrest.
Zimbabwe police arrested Hopewell Chin’ono for the third time in five months on Friday. The latest arrest comes after he tweeted that police beat a baby to death while enforcing COVID-19 lockdown rules this week. Police later said the information was incorrect.
On Saturday, his lawyers pleaded for his freedom, claiming his arrest was illegal, but the court could not finish the arguments and put him in custody.
His lawyer, Harrison Nkomo, said Chin’ono could have been exposed to people who had since tested positive for COVID-19 on a recent visit to South Africa – one reason he should stay at home.
The prosecution, on the other hand, argued that his exposure was grounds for sending him to prison “to keep everyone safe” until he underwent a medical examination.
Magistrate Lazini Ncube ordered that Chin’ono be transported to prison separately from other inmates, and that he be kept in isolation while his bid for freedom is heard Monday.
The magistrate said Chin’ono should be provided with blankets and hot water, conditions his lawyers said were not available during his previous stints in prison.
Prior to the latest arrest, Chin’ono had been released on bail for inciting violence after he expressed support for a protest against the government in July, as well as for contemptuous legal charges over alleged corruption allegations within the national prosecutor’s office.
Chin’ono is one of Zimbabwe’s most prominent critics of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government, accusing it of corruption and human rights abuses. The government has denied the charges.
Before his arrest in July, Chin’ono had published an article on Twitter claiming corruption involving the purchase of $ 60 million in protective equipment for health workers.
Mnangagwa later fired the health minister, who was formally charged with corruption. Chin’ono and his lenders say he is the target of uncovering government transactions. The government and the ruling party accuse him of wanting to damage Mnangagwa’s image.