NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – A prominent Zimbabwean journalist accused of reporting falsehoods was sent to prison isolation after it was learned that he was likely exposed to people with COVID-19 before his arrest.
Zimbabwe police arrested Hopewell Chin’ono on Friday for the third time in five months. The latest arrest came after he tweeted that police beat a child to death while enforcing COVID-19 blocking rules this week. The police later said the information was false.
On Saturday, his lawyers defended his freedom, saying his arrest was illegal, but the court failed to finish hearing the arguments and sent him into custody.
His lawyer, Harrison Nkomo, said Chin’ono could have been exposed to people who have since tested positive for COVID-19 during a recent visit to South Africa – one reason he should be allowed to stay at home.
The prosecution, on the other hand, argued 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 that Chin’ono be transported to the prison separately from the other prisoners, and that he should be kept in isolation while his attempt at freedom continues to be heard on Monday.
The magistrate said Chin’ono should be given blankets and warm water, conditions that were not available during his previous prison terms, according to his lawyers.
Before his last arrest, Chin’ono was released on bail on charges of inciting violence after expressing support for an anti-government protest in July, and also for contempt of court charges for allegedly alleging corruption within the prosecutor’s office.
Chin’ono is one of Zimbabwe’s most prominent critics of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration, accusing it of corruption and human rights abuses. The government denies the charges.
Before being arrested in July, Chin’ono published a complaint on Twitter alleging corruption involving the purchase of protective equipment for healthcare professionals for $ 60 million.
Mnangagwa later dismissed the health minister, who was formally accused of corruption. Chin’ono and his supporters say he is the target of government corruption accusations. The government and the ruling party accuse him of wanting to tarnish Mnangagwa’s image.