Legal knives are out for human rights lawyers in Zim

[Vorastra]

NORTHERN EXPOSURE: Legal knives are out for human rights lawyers in Zim

Zimbabwean human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa has lodged a court challenge against the magistrate presiding over investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono’s case, which is due back in court on Monday.

www.dailymaverick.co.za

Zimbabwean human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa has lodged a court challenge against the magistrate presiding over investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono’s case, which is due back in court on Monday.

“I’m going to challenge this decision in the higher courts,” said Beatrice Mtetwa soon after being barred by magistrate Ngoni Nduna from representing persecuted journalist Hopewell Chin’ono.

Mtetwa lodged a high court application on 7 September 2020 to have Nduna disqualified from presiding over Chin’ono’s trial, and for the state prosecutor to be banned from prosecuting the freelance journalist. Chin’ono was recently released after being in custody for 47 days on charges of inciting violence on social media.