Chin’ono was rearrested at his home in the capital, Harare,
on Tuesday evening for allegedly breaking his bail conditions and has been
detained since.
The respected documentary-maker was first arrested in July
after publishing a series of investigations into corruption by senior public
officials in Zimbabwe. He was held in an overcrowded cell in Chikurubi
high-security prison for almost six weeks pending trial on charges of inciting
violence.
On his release in September, Chin’ono was effectively
banned from using social media for anything that could be seen as critical of
the Zanu-PF government. He did, however, give a series of media interviews in
which he described the horrific conditions he faced in prison.
Beatrice Mtwetwa, Zimbabwe’s best-known human rights
lawyer, told the court on Friday that Chin’ono, who has not yet faced trial,
was being detained with convicted prisoners and had been held for more than 48
hours before being brought to court.
He was brought to court just before the end of the day on
Thursday, which his lawyers said was a deliberate tactic to delay proceedings.
The new charge is related to comments Chin’ono made about
possessing classified information from the national prosecuting authority
relating to Henrietta Rushwaya, the president of the Zimbabwe Miners’
Federation, who was arrested last week at Harare’s airport and has been charged
with attempting to smuggle gold to Dubai.
According to court papers, Chin’ono “claims to be engaged in
a relationship with the national prosecution authority thereby jeopardising the
integrity of the case against himself and that of Henrietta Rushwaya.” Rushwaya
has denied any wrongdoing.
Chin’ono, who denies the new charge against him, was
brought to court in leg irons.
The EU’s office in Zimbabwe expressed concern over his
rearrest and detention. “Hopewell Chin’ono’s detention sends a chilling signal
on freedom of opinion and expression in Zimbabwe. Exposing corruption is not a
crime, the fight against corruption is a declared government priority,” it said
on Twitter.
The British ambassador to Zimbabwe, Melanie Robinson, said
Chin’ono had “consistently spoken out about corruption in Zimbabwe” and
expressed concerns “about the signals the case against him sends to journalists
here”. Guardian
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