FIREBRAND journalist Hopewell Chin’ono’s bail application was trashed by a Harare magistrate and he was remanded in custody to August 7.
This follows hot on the heels of the denial of bail to opposition leader Jacob Ngarivhume, the chief organizer of the July 31 Protests who yesterday was denied bail.
Magistrate Ngoni Nduna had said that he needed time to study submissions by lawyers and ruling may be ready later today, or on Saturday.
Chin’ono faces charges of inciting the nation to the much anticipated protest.
“I have been denied bail until…they said I should come back until the 7th of August for the fact of reporting what the organisers of the 31st of July had said. So basically journalism has been criminalised,”Hopewell said.
Said advocate Douglas Coltart, “Hopewell Chin’ono has been denied bail and remanded in custody until 7 August by Magistrate Ngoni Nduna on the basis that he is a danger to the public because he has not yet completed his mission of inciting people to demonstrate on #31July. We will be appealing.”
