[ad_1]
Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono speaks with his lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, in court in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Monday, November 9, 2020 (Photo: Frank Chikowore).
The detained journalist and documentary filmmaker Hopewell Chin’ono has refused to name his sources in court in a case in which he says he was exposing corruption in the National Prosecutor’s Office. He told a Harare magistrate that exposing his sources would undermine his journalistic privileges.
Chin’ono, who took the witness stand in his request to deny pretrial detention on charges of obstruction of justice, told a Harare magistrate that the charges against him were “malicious” and added that as a journalist he had an obligation to protect your sources of information.
“I will not reveal my sources, but I keep what I wrote on my Twitter account,” Chin’ono said when asked by the prosecution to reveal his sources at the National Prosecutor’s Office. Chin’ono last week claimed he was being “persecuted”.
When asked by the state’s lead attorney, Lancelot Mutsokoti, if what he posted on his Twitter account did not undermine the administration of justice in a case where the Zimbabwe Federation of Miners head Henrietta Rushwaya accused of trying to smuggle 6 kg of refined gold worth $ 333,000 to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Chin’ono replied that his actions were part of his journalistic work.
“I don’t understand what you mean when you say that what I published obstructs the delivery of justice; what you are trying to tell me is that journalism obstructs justice, which in my opinion is not correct, “said the defiant journalist.
Chin’ono, detained on Tuesday, November 3, at his residence in Harare, He said he felt there was “an element of corruption” when he heard that authorities were not opposed to bail for Rushwaya, adding that he was vindicated when the state consented to bail when a Harare magistrate asked him to explain why. what was not possible. contrary surety.
He added that it was also worrying that the state did not oppose Rushwaya’s bail because he is a relative of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and other top government officials.
“Henrietta Rushwaya was involved in many corruption cases before and I could not remain silent when the National Tax Authority was making that decision (not opposing Rushwaya’s bail), especially when she is related to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is the president. and some of the top government officials. Any journalist worth his salt would not ignore a story like this when he got that information, ”Chin’ono said.
“You would agree with me that the Home Affairs Minister, Kazembe Kazembe, told the media that Zimbabwe was losing $ 100 million a month due to gold smuggling and that would translate to $ 1.2 billion a year, that is enough to buy everything that is required in our central hospitals, for example, and I cannot ignore such a story when faced with credible information from my sources. “
Mnangagwa has repeatedly called for zero tolerance for corruption, saying it is hurting the growth of the country’s economy. His predecessor, the late Robert Mugabe, also revealed that Zimbabwe had lost $ 15 billion corruption in the diamond sector.
Chin’ono’s lead attorney, Beatrice Mtetwa, told the court that her client is not supposed to be in the dock in the first place and is not to be placed on remand.
“Detaining Chin’ono, who is exposing corruption, defeats the authorities’ purpose of asking everyone to fight corruption. In this case, he was a whistleblower and was using his journalistic skills to expose corruption and, in our respectful presentation, there is nothing wrong with that. In any case, the charges as prepared by the state do not reveal a crime, ”Mtetwa said.
But the prosecution maintained that there was a nexus between the alleged crime and Chin’ono’s tweet, since Chin’ono had not questioned the tweet.
Magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa said she would deliver her ruling on Tuesday.
Chin’ono’s arrest was criticized by media watchdogs such as the Southern African Media Institute and the Committee to Protect Journalists, who said his arrest was an attack on the journalism profession.
The European Union also condemned his arrest.
“Hopewell Chin’ono’s arrest sends a chilling signal about freedom of opinion and expression in Zimbabwe. Exposing corruption is not a crime – fighting corruption is a declared priority of the government, ”said the EU Ambassador to Zimbabwe Tim Olkkonen.
Chin’ono is also out on bail on charges of inciting Zimbabweans to rebel against the Mnangagwa administration. Another magistrate, Ngoni Nduna, is expected to rule on Tuesday whether or not he should recuse himself from hearing Chin’ono’s case after the journalist accused him of bias. DM
