Chin’ono denied bail again

Harare (New Ziana) – Detained political activist Hopewell Chin’ono, who is facing charges of inciting the public to take part in an illegal protest march last month, was denied bail by the Harare magistrates court yet again on Monday.

Chin’ono is seen as one of the key figures in the planned July 31 protests, which the government had outlawed on security and Covid-19 health grounds.

He is accused of widely using social media to rally people to take part in the planned protests inspite of the ban of the marches.

Chin’ono, who was arrested together with other political activists on the same charges, has unsuccessfully tried to secure bail at the High Court and Harare Magistrates Court several times.

In the latest case, he sought bail on grounds of changed circumstances, arguing that since the date of the planned protests had past, there was no need to keep him in remand prison.

The protests were overwhelmingly snubbed by the public, a factor Chin’ono’s lawyers argued also made him a good candidate for bail.

But magistrate Ngoni Nduna dismissed the application, ruling that there were no changed circumstances that warranted granting of bail.

“Freelance journalist Hopewell Chin’ono denied bail again. Magistrate Nduna says there are no new facts warranting his admission to bail,” Chin’ono’s lawyers, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, said.

In the latest bid for partial freedom, the political activist had also claimed dangers of possible Covid-19 infection in prison, ironically something he did not see when allegedly mobilising people for the street marches.
New Ziana