Zimbabwean police arrest prominent journalist and opposition leader

In a press release, police confirmed that Jacob Ngarivhume of Transformation Zimbabwe and Hopewell Chin’ono, a prominent journalist, were arrested, adding that “the duo will appear in court soon and are currently in police custody.”

Ngarivhume is calling for nationwide protests on July 31 to pressure the government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa to fight corruption and the deterioration of the economy under the hashtag #ZanupfMustGo.

Early Monday morning, journalist Chin’ono posted a video clip of the police arriving at his home and ordering him to stop the recording and ordering him to put his phone in his pockets.

The award-winning journalist most recently worked on corruption allegations related to the health ministry’s acquisition of Covid-19 supplies, according to Amnesty International, which accused the Zimbabwean government of using state security forces to crack down and watch critics.

“The arrests of Hopewell Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume are designed to intimidate and send a chilling message to journalists, whistleblowers and activists who draw attention to matters of public interest in Zimbabwe,” said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty director for East Africa and southern in a statement.

Crackdown on dissidents

In May, three opposition members, who said they had been kidnapped by security forces for days after they left a rally calling for better coronavirus relief for citizens, are in jail.

The women, also accused of violating the closing regulations, said they were tortured and sexually assaulted after their arrests, but the government accused them of faking their kidnappings.

At least 12 health workers were detained by police during a low-wage demonstration in July.

In the latter case, the United States Embassy in Harare said it was concerned about the arrest of Chin’ono, a fierce critic of President Mnangagwa, who uncovered cases of corruption involving government officials.

“President Mnangagwa pointed out the important role investigative journalists, such as Chin’ono, play in shedding light on corruption. Political intimidation of the press has no place in democracies,” the US embassy in Harare said in Twitter

“Journalism is not a crime” and journalists must be protected as they play an important role in democracies, the EU embassy said in a tweet, calling for the immediate release of Chin’ono.

CNN’s Bukola Adebayo contributed to the story.