Rights groups Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International criticised Zimbabwe’s authorities for the arrest and detention of a prominent journalist and an opposition leader as the government comes under pressure over the level of corruption in the country.
Hopewell Chin’ono, an investigative journalist and Jacob Ngarivhume, who is the leader of the political group called Transform Zimbabwe, were arrested on Monday in Harare and charged with “incitement to participate in public violence”.
A statement by the police on Tuesday said that Chin’ono and Ngarivhume were in custody and were expected to appear in court “soon”.
Chin’ono was behind an exposé of an alleged $60 million dollar procurement scandal at the Ministry of Health involving purchasing of COVID-19 medical supplies. That exposé resulted in the arrest and subsequent dismissal of Obadiah Moyo as Health minister.
Jacob Ngarivhume, who is the leader of a small opposition party called Transform Zimbabwe, had called for protests against widespread state corruption at the end of July.
HRW in a statement urged the authorities to immediately release Chin’ono and Ngarivhume and “respect their rights to freely speak against corruption.”
“The Zimbabwe authorities should end the harassment of journalists and activists who expose corruption or seek to peacefully protest,” the statement said.
“Instead of cracking down on anti-corruption journalists and activists, the Zimbabwe government should investigate and prosecute those engaged in corruption, including as part of its efforts to secure debt forgiveness from foreign creditors to address the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic,” the statement added.
HRW also said that calling for peaceful anti-corruption protests was not a criminal offence given that Zimbabwe had signed a number of agreements on enshrining that right.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International said that the arrests were “designed to intimidate and send sending a chilling message to journalists, whistleblowers and activists who draw attention to matters of public interest in Zimbabwe.”
“Zimbabwean authorities must stop misusing the criminal justice system to persecute journalists and activists who are simply exercising their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. The authorities must stop using the police and courts to silence dissent.”
Amnesty also demanded for the duo’s unconditional release saying no individual should be detained for peacefully protesting or reporting on allegations of corruption.
Zimbabwe has been gripped by unease in recent months as the government grapples with a host of challenges including a struggling economy, the COVID-19 pandemic and speculation about political unrest.
In June, the government assured all Zimbabweans that it was working hard towards improving their livelihoods.
