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ZimInd editors granted bail
MISA-Zimbabwe
May 13, 2009

Harare Magistrate, Catherine Chimanda on 12 May 2009 granted the Zimbabwe Independent editors, Vincent Kahiya and Constantine Chimakure, bail of USD200 each, remanding them to 28 May 2009.

As part of the bail conditions the two are expected to report to the Police Law and Order section once a week.

The two face charges of publishing or communicating a statement wholly or with the intention of undermining public confidence in law enforcement agents, under Section 31 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. The charges arise from a story published in this week's publication titled, CIO, police role in activists' abduction revealed. The story states that notices of indictment for trial in the High Court which begins 29 June 2009, served on some of the activists last week revealed that the activists were either in the custody of the CIO or police during the period they were reported missing.

The two who are represented by lawyer, Innocent Chagonda are expected to on 28 May 2009 challenge the material in the State outline, which states that the article published was 'materially and wholly false'

Background

On Saturday 9 May, 2009 officials from the Law and Order Section visited the Zimbabwe Independent offices looking for Kahiya and Chimakure over a story published in this weeks edition naming members of the Central Intelligence Organisation and police who were allegedly involved in the abductions of human rights and Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) activists, amongst them freelance journalist Shadreck Andrisson Manyere last year.

Kahiya and Chimakure presented themselves at the Law and Order Section of Harare Central police station in the morning on 11 May 2009 in the company of their lawyer where they were interrogated for several hours and made to sign warned and cautioned statements. They were detained at around 1700hrs and appeared in court on 12 May.

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