Zimbabwe court terminates criminal charges against journalist

High Court terminates charges against Hopewell Chin’ono, saying law used by police to arrest him no longer existed.

A court in Zimbabwe has terminated charges of communicating false information levelled against award-winning investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono, saying the law used by police to arrest him earlier this year no longer existed. Chin’ono, 48, has been a fierce critic of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s rule, accusing his government of corruption and mismanagement. Over the past year, he has spent many weeks behind bars and was hit with several charges, including inciting violence and obstructing justice. On Wednesday, Chin’ono’s lawyer Harrison Nkomo said the charges of communicating false information had been quashed by the country’s High Court “because the section under which he was charged is no longer part of our law”.