Journalist Mhone granted police bail

Journalist Macmillan Mhone was last evening  released on police bail, his lawyer, Joseph Lihoma, confirmed.

He said Mhone has been asked to report to Police Headquarters in Lilongwe on April 23.

Said the lawyer: “I intend to request that he should be reporting to Blantyre Police Station since the accused is based in Blantyre.”

Malawi Police Service arrested the journalist on Monday and kept him at Blantyre Police Station before moving him on Tuesday to Lingadzi Police Station in Area 18.

Private practice lawyer Sylvester Ayuba James, who is also representing Mhone, said his client is facing three counts of cyber spamming, extortion and publication of false news likely to cause alarm for a story published while he worked for online publication Malawi24.

Earlier, he said Mhone, now working for Nation Publications Limited (NPL), is expected to appear before court today.

Said Ayuba James: “If the courts will be functional on Wednesday, we are likely to appear before the court.”

His uncertainty was derived from a possibility of a Muslim holiday of Eid al Fitr which comes into effect after the sighting of the moon.

Mhone was arrested over a story published on Malawi24 website in August last year pertaining to businessperson Abdul Karim Batatawala.

Yesterday, an NPL team visited Mhone at National Police Headquarters at Area 30 in Lilongwe where he stayed for about two hours after arriving from Blantyre, before being moved to Lingadzi Police Station.

However, various governance and human rights advocates have called for his unconditional release, saying the arrest is tantamount to infringement of media freedom.

In separate statements on Tuesday, governance commentator Undule Mwakasungula and Human Rights Defenders Coalition chairperson Gift Trapence said the arrest has negative implications on Malawi’s commitments to media freedom and human rights.

Media Institute of Southern Africa Malawi Chapter chairperson Golden Matonga in a separate statement said it is surprising that Mhone had to be transferred to Lilongwe from Blantyre where the complainant is based.

Committee to Protect Journalists also joined Misa Malawi in calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Mhone.