Zimbabwe: Release on bail of Messrs. Hopewell Chin’ono (alias Daddy Hope) and Jacob Ngarivhume

The Observatory has been informed by reliable sources about the release on bail of Messrs. Hopewell Chin’ono (alias Daddy Hope), a freelance investigative journalist and filmmaker, and Jacob Ngarivhume, the President of Transform Zimbabwe, an opposition political party. Both men are active in defending democracy, exposing State corruption and demanding transparency and accountability in the administration of public funds. Mr. Chin’ono exposed alleged corruption in the procurement of COVID-19 medical supplies[1], and Mr. Ngarivhume is the convener of the civil society’s July 31, 2020 demonstration against corruption and for the President Emmerson Mnangagwa to step down.

According to the information received, on September 2, 2020, Messrs. Hopewell Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume, who were both detained since July 20, 2020 for “incitement to commit public violence”(see background information), were granted bail by the High Court. They were ordered to pay respectively a 10,000 Zimbabwean dollar bail (approximately 100 Euros) and a 50,000 Zimbabwean dollar bail (approximately 503 Euros). They were also requested to surrender their passports, to report to police three times a week and to refrain from posting on social media. In addition, M. Hopewell Chin’ono was reportedly asked to hand over title deeds. The next remand date in their case is scheduled for September 14, 2020, when a trial date is expected to be announced.

The Observatory welcomes the release on bail of Messrs. Hopewell Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume but recalls that they should never have been detained in the first place, their detention being arbitrary as it was only aimed at punishing them for their legitimate human rights activities.

The Observatory is further concerned about the above-mentioned restrictions posed against Messrs. Hopewell Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume as part of their bail conditions, and calls upon the authorities of Zimbabwe to lift these measures and to put an end to any kind of harassment, including at the judicial level, against themas well as all human rights defenders in the country.

Background information:

On July 20, 2020, eight-armed State security agents broke the glass front door of Mr. Hopewell Chin’ono’s house in Chisipite, Harare, and took him to the Law and Order section of Harare Central Police Station. At the time of the arrest, the State agents did not produce any arrest warrant and refused to produce identification documents to Mr. Chin’ono.

On the same day, police officers arrested Mr. Jacob Ngarivhume at his house in Harare before conducting him to Harare Central Police Station.

Both men were denied access to their lawyer and were not informed promptly of the charges they were facing, in violation of their right to due process. The Minister of Information and Publicity of Zimbabwe confirmed[2] later that the police arrested them in connection with allegations of contravening Section 187 (1)(a) as read with Section 36 (1)(a) and Section 37 (1)(a)(i) of the Criminal Law (Codification & Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23,and charged with “inciting the public to engage in a gathering with intent to commit public violence”, alternatively “incitement to commit public violence”.

On July 21, 2020, police officers searched the house of Mr. Hopewell Chin’ono, in his presence, in search for gadgets which they say he used to post three tweets “inciting public violence”. Ms. Beatrice Mtetwa, Mr. Hopewell Chin’ono’s lawyer, had to request for the search warrant various times before the police officer show it to her. She also stopped the police officers from taking cameras, not covered by the warrant. However, in the evening of the same day, a group armed riot police unlawfully raided Mr. Hopewell’s home and eventually managed to seize his camera.

On July 22, 2020, Messrs. Chin’ono and Ngarivhume appeared respectively before Court 14 and Court 11 of the Rottenrow Magistrates Court, which postponed their bail hearings to July 23. The hearings then continued on July 24, 2020, when Magistrate Ngoni Nduna refused to grant them bail. Although Messrs. Chin’ono’s and Ngarivhume’s lawyers appealed the decision before the High Court, Justice Tawanda Chitapi dismissed their appeal on August 6, 2020.

Another appeal was subsequently filed by their lawyers based on "changed circumstances", after both human rights defenders were transferred from Harare Remand Prison to Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison on August 7, 2020, where their rights to receive food parcels and to communicate with their lawyers has been severely restricted. A hearing within the framework of Mr. Chin’ono’s second appeal took place on August 18, 2020 but the court did not finalise the bail hearing due to questions raised by prosecutor Whisper Mabhaudhi regarding Ms. Mtetwa’s eligibility to continue as the lead defence counsel for Mr. Hopewell Chin’ono. The court advised Mr. Hopewell Chin’ono to find another lawyer to allow the bail proceedings to continue as Ms. Mtetwa has been ordered to stand down from representing him[3].