Lawyers representing detained journalist Hopewell Chin’ono on 11 January 2021 challenged his placement on remand saying the charge he is facing was ruled unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court.
It is alleged Chin’ono breached Section 31 (a) (iii) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act by posting a tweet that falsely reported the death of a child after a physical assault by the police.
The defence lawyers, led by Harrison Nkomo, argued before Harare magistrate Lazini Ncube, that the section he is being charged under was invalidated as being unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court.
The matter continues tomorrow during which the defence lawyers are expected to lead evidence from Chin’ono.
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Source: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zimbabwe
