A court in Harare turned down reporter Blessed Mhlanga's request to go free yesterday. This marks the third time he tried but failed to secure his freedom. The Alpha Media Holdings worker has stayed locked up since February after police grabbed him. They say he shared messages that could make people start fights against the government.
His troubles started when he reported on talks by someone with the same first name - Blessed Geza. This other Blessed used to work for the ruling Zanu PF party but ran away from the country. He became famous for asking people to rise against President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The judge, Donald Ndirowei, said nothing new had happened to change his mind about keeping the reporter in jail.
Both the first court and a higher court already said no to letting him out. They worried he might pressure the people who work under him not to tell the truth about what happened. Judges also feared his release could make the country less stable. His lawyer, Chris Mhike, tried again by telling the court how much his family suffers without him at home.
The lawyer pointed out that Mhlanga never tried to stop anyone from speaking up since his arrest. He also mentioned how slowly the police work progressed on the case. The government lawyer, Anesu Chirenje, claimed they had almost finished looking into everything. The state says they stand ready to start the actual trial very soon.
The reporter must come back to face the judge on April 22. At that time, they might finally pick a date for his trial to begin. Courts keep saying they fear letting him out because people might start protests or riots. The judges believe his freedom could lead to big problems across the country. This shows how scared officials remain about anything that questions the current leadership.
His troubles started when he reported on talks by someone with the same first name - Blessed Geza. This other Blessed used to work for the ruling Zanu PF party but ran away from the country. He became famous for asking people to rise against President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The judge, Donald Ndirowei, said nothing new had happened to change his mind about keeping the reporter in jail.
Both the first court and a higher court already said no to letting him out. They worried he might pressure the people who work under him not to tell the truth about what happened. Judges also feared his release could make the country less stable. His lawyer, Chris Mhike, tried again by telling the court how much his family suffers without him at home.
The lawyer pointed out that Mhlanga never tried to stop anyone from speaking up since his arrest. He also mentioned how slowly the police work progressed on the case. The government lawyer, Anesu Chirenje, claimed they had almost finished looking into everything. The state says they stand ready to start the actual trial very soon.
The reporter must come back to face the judge on April 22. At that time, they might finally pick a date for his trial to begin. Courts keep saying they fear letting him out because people might start protests or riots. The judges believe his freedom could lead to big problems across the country. This shows how scared officials remain about anything that questions the current leadership.
