BY MIRIAM MANGWAYA
INCARCERATED journalist Hopewell Chin’ono’s bail hearing over charges of communicating falsehoods will be heard today at the High Court after the State yesterday requested more time to file submissions.
The arguments for Chin’ono’s appeal will be heard before judge Justice Davison Foroma. Chin’ono was denied bail by Harare magistrate Lazini Ncube on the basis that he had the propensity to commit offences because he was on bail on two pending matters.
The award-winning journalist appeared before Ncube on allegations of publishing falsehoods after he allegedly posted on his Twitter handle that a police officer had killed a baby with a truncheon.
This was after a video showing a scuffle between a police officer and a woman with a baby in her hands had gone viral on social media.
Police, however, dismissed the reports, claiming that both the mother and the child were alive and well.
Through his lawyer Harrison Nkomo the journalist had challenged his placement on remand arguing that section 31(a)(iii) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act under which he is being charged, was a “non-existent law”.
Chin’ono was on bail on two separate charges that of inciting public violence and another of obstructing or defeating the course of justice.
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