Taste of freedom: Chin’ono freed on bail

Prominent journalist Hopewell Chin’ono has been released on Z$10,000 bail by the Harare High Court this afternoon.

Passing the ruling, Justice Tawanda Chitapi said there was no continuity of demonstrations as was advocated for.

“Nothing was put in place to show that July 31 was for commencement of a process, so magistrate misdirected in failing to find that passing of July 31 was a changed circumstance,” said Justice Chitapi.

Meanwhile, Chin’ono fell ill at the Chikurubi maximum-security prison, and had been allegedly denied medical attention.

Meanwhile, upon the release, SABC journalist Peter Ndoro said; “The question is what are the authorities so desperately fearful of if he is released?

“Is a man with just a pen a threat to national security? Are his words that powerful?”

This comes at the time Zimbabwe is expecting a visit from South Africa on a fact finding mission over alleged human rights abuses in the country.