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SANEF, SAEF And TAEF Welcome Release of Journalist, Hopewell Chin’ono on Bail & Call for Dropping of All Trumped-up Charges

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The South African National Editors Forum (SANEF), the Southern African Editors’ Forum (SAEF) and the African Editors Forum (TAEF) welcome the release on bail of Zimbabwean journalist, Hopewell Chin’ono. We note that Justice Chitapi found that Magistrate Gofa grossly misdirected herself in denying the journalist bail. He is expected to be released from Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison later this evening.

SANEF, SAEF AND TAEF call on Zimbabwean authorities to stop hounding Chin’ono, an investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker. Instead we call for his unconditional release.

Chin’ono was arrested and then again re-arrested on 3 November and is facing charges of defeating or obstructing the course of justice. The authorities have alleged that Chin’ono created communication lines with sources within the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) who gave him access to confidential prosecutorial deliberations, which he allegedly published on social media, including Twitter, on 25 October.

The confidential information purported to show that Henrietta Rushwaya, a Zimbabwean woman allegedly caught at the Robert Mugabe International Airport trying to smuggle gold out of the country, was going to be granted bail without any opposition by NPA officials.

Prosecutors claimed that Chin’ono had jeopardised the integrity of cases against himself and that of Rushwaya.

Chin’ono has declined to reveal his sources – which is a basic principle of journalistic ethics.

Chin’ono is also facing charges of “inciting the public” after he was arrested in July for allegedly calling for anti-corruption protests. At the time, he had been involved exposing government corruption.

SANEF joins international media organisations and defenders of media freedom including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Amnesty International, the Africa Editors Forum (TAEF) and the Southern African Editors Forum (SAEF) in condemning the pretrial detention over a tweet, which represents what some see as the latest effort to control social media in Zimbabwe.

SANEF, SAEF and TAEF join media organisations in appealing, once again, to Cyril Ramaphosa in his position as African Union chair, to use all available mechanisms to help secure Chin’ono’s release, and to ensure that journalists across the continent are respected as essential workers throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and are not jailed for their work.

Chin’ono’s detention was the latest tactic to target and harass critical voices through the misuse of the criminal justice system.

Addressing the International Press Institute Congress in Cape Town in February 1994, Nelson Mandela said: A critical, independent and investigative press is the lifeblood of any democracy. The press must be free from state interference. It must have the economic strength to stand up to the blandishments of government officials. It must have sufficient independence from vested interests to be bold and inquiring without fear or favour. It must enjoy the protection of the constitution so that it can protect our rights as citizens.”

We hope that the Zimbabwe authorities will heed his counsel.

Note to Editors: The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is a non-profit organisation whose members are editors, senior journalists and journalism trainers from all areas of the South African media. We are committed to championing South Africa’s hard-won freedom of expression and promoting quality, ethics and diversity in the South African media. We promote excellence in journalism through fighting for media freedom, writing policy submissions, research and education and training programmes. SANEF is not a union.

For more information please contact:

  • Sbu Ngalwa – SANEF Chairperson (073) 404-1415
  • Janet Heard – SANEF Council member (078) 041-9528
  • Jovial Rantao – TAEF Chairperson (082) 446-6008
  • Willie Mponda – SAEF Chairperson + 263 71 271 8043

Socials

Twitter: @SAEditorsForum

Email: [email protected]

Website: SANEF

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SANEF, SAEF and TAEF Welcome the Release on Bail of Zimbabwean Journalist, Hopewell Chin’ono and Call for Charges to Be Dropped

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Journalist Hopewell Chin’ono

 

The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) joins the Southern Africa Editors’ Forum (SAEF) and The African Editors Forum (TAEF) in welcoming the release, on bail, of Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono after being held for 44 days in pre-trial detention.

SANEF, SAEF and TAEF also join other African and global media and human rights organisations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in condemning the arrest of Chin’ono in the first place on 20 July 2020.

SANEF chairperson, Sbu Ngalwa says, “We welcome the release of Chin’ono but believe that this was an abusive move in the first place. All these spurious charges should be dropped against him with immediate effect. Further, we note the tremendous courage and resoluteness shown by Chin’ono upon his release from jail on Wednesday”.

SANEF, SAEF and TAEF stand in solidarity with our colleagues in Zimbabwe in condemning all injustices perpetrated against journalists in that country and the rest of Africa.

We firmly believe that the Zimbabwean government should allow journalists to do their work freely without fear and political hindrance. This especially as Zimbabwe has declared to Africa and the world that it is a democracy.

We wish to reiterate an earlier appeal made that current African Union (AU) Chairperson and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, intervene in this matter.

Since July 20, Chin’ono was remanded in prison and denied bail on charges of “inciting public violence” in terms of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. Police raided his home in Harare without a search warrant as required by law.

In the continued harassment of journalists, Zimbabwean police on July 30, raided and ransacked the home of online publisher ZimLive editor, Mduduzi Mathuthu in Bulawayo looking for “subversive material”.

We remain deeply concerned that 2020 has become a dark period for media freedom worldwide considering the increase in the number of journalists jailed in various countries since the beginning of lockdowns brought about by the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

In Tanzania, we note with regret that President, John Magufuli recently signed new anti-media freedom regulations, wiping clean the gains made by the media in that country in the past four decades.

In Egypt, there was the increase of the sentence Al Jazeera journalist, Mahmoud Hussein is serving.

In Hong Kong, founder and publisher of Apple Daily Jimmy Lai was arrested, while in the Philippines, Editor Maria Ressa faces spurious charges.

SANEF, SAEF and TAEF stand in solidarity with the World Association of News Publishers, the World Editors’ Forum and CPJ in condemning all these abuses perpetrated against journalists.

Note to Editors: The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is a non-profit organisation whose members are editors, senior journalists and journalism trainers from all areas of the South African media.

The Southern African Editors’ Forum (SAEF) organises editors and senior journalists across Southern Africa.

The African Editors’ Forum (TAEF) organises editors and senior journalists across Africa.

For more information please contact:

  • Jovial Rantao – TAEF Chairperson (082) 446-6008
  • Willie Mponda – SAEF Chairperson + 263 7 12718043
  • Sbu Ngalwa – SANEF Chairperson (073) 404-1415

Socials

Twitter: @SAEditorsForum

Email: [email protected]

Website: SANEF

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STATEMENT ON THE HARASSMENT AND ARREST OF JOURNALISTS IN ZIMBABWE

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3 August 2020

The African Editors Forum (TAEF) and the Southern African Editors Forum (SAEF) are greatly concerned about the continued harassment and arrest of journalists in Zimbabwe by the government. TAEF and SAEF call on the Zimbabwean government to immediately release Hopewell Chin’ono who is in remand prison and was denied bail on charges of “inciting public violence” in terms of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

Chin’ono was arrested on 20 July 2020 after police agents raided his home in Harare without a search warrant as required by the law. Again, on 30 July 2020, police raided and ransacked the home of online publisher ZimLive editor, Mduduzi Mathuthu in Bulawayo looking for “subversive material” supposedly linked to yesterday’s (31 July 2020) planned protests.

We wish to remind the Zimbabwean government that Journalism is not crime and therefore demand that all charges against Mduduzi and Chin’ono be unconditionally dropped immediately to allow them to continue reporting without fear. We are deeply concerned about the deliberate abuse of journalists by Zimbabwean security forces which of late has resulted in a sharp increase of their arrest and unlawful detention, especially since the start of the COVID-19 lockdown.

The Zimbabwean government should allow journalists to do their work freely without any hindrance and we demand a guarantee for the safety of all media personnel in the country. We would like to urge the Zimbabwean government to engage media within the country to find a common understanding with a view to end the harassment and arrests of journalists. This should not be happening in a democracy which Zimbabwe has declared to Africa and the rest of the world that it is. TAEF and SAEF remain committed as well as ready to assist both the Zimbabwean government and media in finding a lasting solution with a view to end the harassment and arrest of journalists.

For more information:
Jovial Rantao
Chairperson: TAEF
[email protected]
Willie Mponda
Chairperson: SAEF
[email protected]

Socials

Twitter: @SAEditorsForum

Email: [email protected]

Website: SANEF