Two Social Justice Coalition activists have been arrested for the kidnapping and murder of a man they had allegedly been trying to rehabilitate.
Gagare, and his Zimbabwe Independent editor Muleya, were released on Wednesday but the charges against them remain, and, if convicted, they face prison sentences of up to 20 years in jail for allegedly "publishing statements prejudicial to the state" in terms of Zimbabwe's Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
Gagare was the author of a story, published in the Zimbabwe Independent two weeks ago, which alleged that Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai had met with security chiefs ahead of the country's elections.
Tsvangirai, also the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), reportedly wanted the military and police's assurance that transition of government would be without incident, in the event that the party wins the election.
Gagare and Muleya's arrests were widely condemned. AmaBhungane, the M&G Centre for Investigative Journalism (MGCIJ), called for the charges against them to be dropped. In a statement on Tuesday, the centre said, "Arresting journalists for doing their work is in flagrant violation of press freedom, the public's right to know and fundamentally undermines the rule of law."
Gagare, during his internship, helped lift the lid on several suspicious spending sprees carried out by a man close to President Robert Mugabe, as well as the behind-the-scenes dealings at the Marange diamond fields in Zimbabwe.
Arrests were 'deplorable'
AmaBhungane's statement said: "The two were arrested over a story pertaining to the possibility of a post-election pact between the opposition party and the securocrats in the Zimbabwean military.
"Despite their release from police cells, the spurious charges against them remain. These charges, of 'publishing falsehoods prejudicial to the state' are arbitrary, authoritarian and out of step with any conception of freedom of expression.
"The MGCIJ therefore calls for the removal of these charges and for a renewed commitment to press freedom by the Zimbabwean authorities."
The Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) said the arrests were "deplorable".
"The VMCZ reiterates that it is undemocratic for the state to seek and continue to criminalise the work of professional journalists. This is particularly so where there is the utilisation of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act to arrest and charge journalists under criminal law with publishing falsehoods."