A lawyer in Zimbabwe says two journalists and a publishing executive have been arrested for an article reporting that the health of 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe is deteriorating.
Human rights lawyer Obey Shava said Friday that the article was published in Zimbabwe’s NewsDay newspaper. The story Thursday mentioned a “fresh health scare.”
Mugabe, who turned 93 last month, flew to Singapore on Wednesday for what his spokesman called a “scheduled medical review.”
Shava says reporter Richard Chidza, editor Wisdom Mudzungairi and executive Sifikile Thabete face a charge of insulting the president.
Shava works for Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, a group that says it has represented nearly 200 people charged with the same crime. People convicted of insulting Mugabe can face jail time, though some cases have been thrown out.
