HARARE-Vincent Kahiya and Constantine Chimakure the editor and news editor of The Zimbabwe Independent, arrested on Monday on charges of writing and later publishing falsehoods prejudicial to the State, were on Tuesday released on bail.They duo re-gained their freedom, albeit temporary, after the State
consented to bail of US$200 each while director Mike Curling was set
free on free bail.
However, the court ordered the trio to remain at given addresses, not
to interfere with State witnesses and further remanded to May 28.
Although the State and the defence agreed on bail conditions,
magistrate Catherine Chimanda surprisingly added reporting conditions.
She asked the journalists together with their director to report once a
week on Fridays to Harare Central Police station where they spent the
night in cells.
In court court proceedings, defence counsel Innocent Chagonda indicated
that he will be applying for refusal of further remand on the basis
that the story carried by the newspaper were true.
"I would like to place it on record that on the next remand date, the
defence will apply for refusal of further remand," Chagonda said. "The
article is not wholly or materially incorrect. In fact, the article is
correct in every respect. The State has agreed to bail conditions."
The State confirmed the deal and the Chimanda read out the verdict.
Immediately after being set free, Chimakure said: "This is outrageous.
Since when have journalists been arrested writing stories using court papers?
Kahiya nd Chimakure were arrested over a story in which they named
State security agents as the abductors of humna rights and MDC
activists last year on suspicion they were engaged in acts of banditry.
The MDC activists are linked to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai while
former ZBC news anchor Jestina Mukoko is the director of the Zimbabwe
Peace Project, ana organisation that gathers data on human rights
abuses in Zimbabwe and exposes it to the world.
The arrests of the scribes comes against the backcloth of a recent all
stakeholders media conference in Kariba last week aimed at addressing
the harsh media laws hovering over the operations of the industry.
Deputy Minister of Media, Information and Publicity Jameson Timba was
dismayed ta the arrests saying: "That is not the media environment we
want in Zimbabwe. It is retrogressive under an inclusive government and
any other government for that matter."
Meanwhile, most journalists boycotted the Kariba conference saying it
was a slap in the face and a mockery to talk of media reforms while
their colleagues were in detention and some on remand.
This was in apparent reference to photo-journalist Andrison Manyere who
is battling for his freedom in the High Court on terrorism charges
while two scribes from the Chronicle are on bail for defamation after
the exposed a scam in which police officers were alleged to have looted
the Grain Marketing Board.
By Our Special Correspondent
Post published in: Politics