Hopewell Chin’ono is an investigative reporter based in Zimbabwe. Through his freelancing and work with the BBC World Service, Chin’ono won various international awards including the 2008 CNN African Journalist of the Year Award and 2008 Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Award. Since the recording of this video, Chin’ono was arrested for contempt of court charges for publishing a tweet that, according to the Washington Post, “allegedly impaired the dignity of Zimbabwe’s Chief Justice Luke Malaba.” Chin’ono was arrested earlier this year for supposedly supporting anti-government protests for which he spent 45 days in prison. Chin’ono, despite his fame, is a frequent target of President Mnangagwa due to his reporting on corruption and human rights abuses within the government. Chin’ono sat down with Research Assistant Tessa Knight to discuss his experience reporting in Zimbabwe, the dangers and attacks he’s faced, #ZimbabweLivesMatter, and what journalists in other repressive regimes can do to fight back.
