(Harare) Zimbabwean courts on Friday refused to release on bail a whistleblower accused of inciting violence, an AFP journalist noted.
France Media Agency
"I was refused parole. I was told to come back to court on August 7, "Hopewell Chin'ono told reporters as he left Harare court.
"I am accused of having reported the words of the organizers of the demonstrations of 28 July" against corruption within the State and the economic situation in Zimbabwe, he added.
"Journalism is criminalized," he denounced, getting into a police van.
Hopewell Chin'ono recently revealed corruption scandals in the fight against the COVID pandemic - 11 at Zimbabwe which led to the dismissal, in early July, of Minister of Health Obadiah Moyo.
On Friday, the journalist called for "the fight against corruption" to continue.
"The magistrate refused to grant him parole arguing [...] that he was a danger to society," said his lawyer, Douglas Coltart.
"We do not see how he can be considered a danger," he added to the AFP, specifying his intention to appeal "as quickly as possible".
Hopewell Chin'ono was arrested Monday in Harare, the same day as Jacob Ngarivhume, who leads the opposition Transform Zimbabwe party and called for a protest against the government on 31 July.
On Thursday, he was also denied his parole application.
Zimbabwe, a country in southern Africa, has been stuck since the beginning of the years 2000 in a serious economic and financial crisis.
After a relative respite a decade ago, the situation has worsened again for two years with the return of shortages (liquidity, fuels, basic foodstuffs, electricity, etc.), against a backdrop of galloping inflation and depreciation of the Zimbabwean dollar.
To date, the country has 2124 cases of COVID - 19 , including 28 deaths.