On Jan. 11, the minister of defense went on national television and proclaimed the story "totally fabricated," according to Chavunduka.

"When we were looking for a comment, [the minister of defense] was supposed to be on leave, but one day later he was on national television," Chavukunda said.

An official at the Zimbabwean embassy in Washington said the minister of defense admitted that the manner of the arrest was "an error which was not supposed to have happened."

Some junior members of the police handed Chavunduka over to junior members of the military, he said. He added that they should only have detained him for the 48 hours permitted under the Zimbabwean law and interviewed him in the presence of police.

The official, who requested anonymity, said "bureaucratic delays" prevented the journalists from being released earlier.

One week after Chavunduka's arrest, Choto turned himself in.

"They said they would release me [if I gave the names of the sources]," Chavunduka said. "They started off by saying 'Don't you want to see your family?'"