Zimbabwe: This Prosecution Should Never Have Happened - Zimind Editor Zaba Recounts Year of Trauma After Acquittal

Zimbabwe Independent editor Faith Zaba says the criminal case against her "should never have happened" after the High Court quashed charges stemming from a satirical article critical of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, ending nearly a year of prosecution that she says left her traumatised and stripped of her dignity.

"I am delighted and deeply relieved by the High Court's decision to quash the charges and remove me from remand. This prosecution should never have happened," Zaba said after the ruling.

The Harare High Court ruled in her favour on Monday, setting aside a magistrate's decision that had kept her on remand and ordering that the charges against both Zaba and her employer, Alpha Media Holdings (AMH), be quashed.

"The application to quash the charges against the accused succeeds. Accordingly the charges be and are hereby quashed," ruled Justice Emilia Muchawa, who also ordered that the accused be removed from remand.

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For Zaba, the judgment closes a painful chapter that began with her arrest last year over a satirical article titled When You Become a Mafia State, published in the Zimbabwe Independent's Muckraker column.

She recalled spending several days in custody at Chikurubi Female Prison following her arrest.

"It has been almost a year since I was arrested and spent cold, painful nights at Chikurubi Female Prison, stripped of my freedom, dignity and the simple comforts that many of us take for granted," she said.

Zaba described the prosecution as a year-long ordeal marked by anxiety, repeated court appearances and strict reporting conditions.

"It has been a year of trauma, uncertainty and anxiety; a year of reporting to the police on Fridays; and a year of court appearances, postponements and living under the shadow of a criminal prosecution," she said.

Prosecutors had accused Zaba of undermining the authority of the President, alleging the satirical article contained falsehoods intended to generate hostility against the government.

The veteran editor maintained that journalists should not face criminal sanctions for carrying out their professional duties.

"Journalists are not criminals, and journalism is not a crime," she said. "The criminalisation of journalism has no place in a democratic society."

She said the ruling was not only a personal victory but also an important affirmation of constitutional freedoms.

"While I welcome this judgment as a personal vindication, it is also an important victory for media freedom, freedom of expression and the rule of law.

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"Today, I celebrate not only my freedom, but the reaffirmation of a fundamental principle: journalism is not a crime."