(MISA/IFEX) – Moses Oguti, the detained editor-in-chief of Botswana-based magazine “Trans Kalahari”, has been transferred to Harare Central Prison, in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare. Oguti is accused of entering Zimbabwe illegally and misrepresenting information to the police. According to a report in the 11 March 2002 edition of “The Daily News”, Oguti was transferred to […]
(MISA/IFEX) – Moses Oguti, the detained editor-in-chief of Botswana-based magazine “Trans Kalahari”, has been transferred to Harare Central Prison, in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare. Oguti is accused of entering Zimbabwe illegally and misrepresenting information to the police.
According to a report in the 11 March 2002 edition of “The Daily News”, Oguti was transferred to Harare on 2 March at the request of senior immigration officers. The newspaper reported that immigration officers in Mutare refused to explain why Oguti had yet to appear in court. However, the police spokesperson in Mutare, Francis Mubvuta, explained that Oguti had not appeared in court because his co-accused, an unnamed driver from Mozambique, was still at large. Oguti languished in Mutare prison for two weeks before being transferred to Harare.
MISA-Zimbabwe could not establish the status of Oguti’s case at the time of writing this alert.
Background Information
Oguti was arrested on 17 February for allegedly entering Zimbabwe illegally through the Forbes Border Post (the border between Zimbabwe and Mozambique).
Oguti’s co-accused, a driver from Mozambique, is still at large. The driver is said to have driven Oguti’s vehicle into Zimbabwe, while Oguti himself is said to have entered Zimbabwe through an illegal entry point in the mountains.
On 26 February, Mubvuta indicated that Oguti would be charged with “entry by evasion” and would also be declared a prohibited immigrant. He is expected to be deported shortly after his transfer to Harare prison.
It is still not clear if Oguti entered Zimbabwe with the intent to perform media-related work. He had apparently told police and immigration officials that he was merely visiting.
