A journalist named Blessed Mhlanga will have to stay in jail for two more nights. He works for Alpha Media Holdings (AMH). On Tuesday, a judge in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, said that Blessed must wait until Thursday to find out if he can leave jail.
The police think Blessed did something wrong. They say he encouraged people to be violent by showing videos of a man named Blessed Geza on HStv, a TV station that AMH runs. Blessed Geza is a war veteran who does not like the President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa. He says the President is corrupt and not a good leader and wants him to stop being in charge of the country.
On Monday, Blessed Mhlanga went to the police by himself. The police had announced on Friday that they wanted to talk to him because he was sharing information that could hurt the country.
When Blessed Mhlanga went to court, the people who worked for the government did not want the judge to let him out of jail. They said that Blessed might try to change what the police find out. They also said that because Blessed is the boss at HStv, he might scare the people who work for him. The police want to talk to those people about what Blessed did.
The government also brought in a police officer named Josphat Chitambira. He works in a special group that fights against terrorism. Josphat agreed with what the government said about Blessed.
Blessed Mhlanga's lawyer, Chris Mhike, told the judge that there was no good reason to keep Blessed in jail. Chris said that just because Blessed writes about politics does not mean he is a politician. Chris also said that the people who work for Blessed have been visiting him to show their support.
Chris explained that Blessed is a journalist. His job is to find out what is happening and tell people about it. In Zimbabwe, the Constitution says that people have the right to say what they think and that journalists can report the news freely. Chris said he was sad that he had to go to court to protect Blessed's rights.
Chris also said that Blessed did not just show Blessed Geza's videos one or two times, but many times. That is because it is his job. Chris said that even if people do not agree with what Blessed Geza said, everyone has the right to hear it. Blessed Mhlanga did not make up for what Blessed Geza said.
In the end, Chris asked the judge to let Blessed Mhlanga go free. He said the government did not give any good reasons to keep him in jail. The judge, Farai Gwatima, will decide what happens to Blessed Mhlanga.
The police think Blessed did something wrong. They say he encouraged people to be violent by showing videos of a man named Blessed Geza on HStv, a TV station that AMH runs. Blessed Geza is a war veteran who does not like the President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa. He says the President is corrupt and not a good leader and wants him to stop being in charge of the country.
On Monday, Blessed Mhlanga went to the police by himself. The police had announced on Friday that they wanted to talk to him because he was sharing information that could hurt the country.
When Blessed Mhlanga went to court, the people who worked for the government did not want the judge to let him out of jail. They said that Blessed might try to change what the police find out. They also said that because Blessed is the boss at HStv, he might scare the people who work for him. The police want to talk to those people about what Blessed did.
The government also brought in a police officer named Josphat Chitambira. He works in a special group that fights against terrorism. Josphat agreed with what the government said about Blessed.
Blessed Mhlanga's lawyer, Chris Mhike, told the judge that there was no good reason to keep Blessed in jail. Chris said that just because Blessed writes about politics does not mean he is a politician. Chris also said that the people who work for Blessed have been visiting him to show their support.
Chris explained that Blessed is a journalist. His job is to find out what is happening and tell people about it. In Zimbabwe, the Constitution says that people have the right to say what they think and that journalists can report the news freely. Chris said he was sad that he had to go to court to protect Blessed's rights.
Chris also said that Blessed did not just show Blessed Geza's videos one or two times, but many times. That is because it is his job. Chris said that even if people do not agree with what Blessed Geza said, everyone has the right to hear it. Blessed Mhlanga did not make up for what Blessed Geza said.
In the end, Chris asked the judge to let Blessed Mhlanga go free. He said the government did not give any good reasons to keep him in jail. The judge, Farai Gwatima, will decide what happens to Blessed Mhlanga.
