(MISA/IFEX) – The bail conditions of the “Standard” journalists, Mark Chavunduka and Ray Choto, were eased on 10 May 1999 in their first appearance in court since their return from the U.K. for post-torture treatment. ** Updates IFEX alerts of 15 March, 24 February, 12 February, 11 February, 10 February, 9 February, 3 February, 29 […]
(MISA/IFEX) – The bail conditions of the “Standard” journalists, Mark
Chavunduka and Ray Choto, were eased on 10 May 1999 in their first
appearance in court since their return from the U.K. for post-torture
treatment.
** Updates IFEX alerts of 15 March, 24 February, 12 February, 11 February,
10 February, 9 February, 3 February, 29 January, 27 January, 25 January, 22
January, 21 January, 18 January, 15 January and 13 January 1999; for
background on the Mandaza and Kwinjeh case see IFEX alerts of 30 April, 11
February, 10 February, 9 February and 8 February 1999**
Chavunduka, the editor of the “Standard”, and Choto, a senior reporter, no
longer have to report to the police every Friday and will also be able to
use their passports to travel for work purposes. The magistrate also ruled
that a security bond of about US$520 be refunded to the two journalists. The
date for the trial was set for 2 August.
Background Information
Chavunduka and Choto are facing charges of publishing false information as a
result of an article published in their paper on 10 January alleging a coup
plot in Zimbabwe. Chavunduka was arrested by the military on 12 January.
Choto was arrested by police on 19 January, and was then handed over to the
military for interrogation. Before their release on bail on 21 January, the
newspaper secured at least three High Court orders demanding their release,
which were all ignored.
Both men sustained serious injuries as a result of torture suffered at the
hands of military police during their illegal detention. On 2 March, the
newspaper successfully defeated an appeal by the state against the altering
of the bail conditions of the two journalists to allow them to leave
Zimbabwe to receive medical treatment in the United Kingdom.
The charges they are facing fall under the Law and Order Maintenance Act, a
law which could be repealed soon in terms of the Public Order and Security
Bill. Reports a few weeks back said that President Robert Mugabe had signed
the Bill into law, however, to date there had been no confirmation of this
report.
On 30 April, the same charges facing Chavunduka and Choto, were dropped
against the group publisher of the “Zimbabwe Mirror”, Ibbo Mandaza, and
journalist Grace Kwinjeh. The two had been charged in February because of a
story published in October 1998 which said that the family of a Zimbabwean
casualty in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo had received
only his head for burial.
