(MISA/IFEX) – Fresh charges have been laid against four “Daily News” journalists, Geoff Nyarota, Bill Saidi, Sam Munyavi and John Gambanga. According to Lawrence Chibwe, the journalists’ lawyer, the four are now being charged with contravening Section 44 (2) (b) of the Law and Order Maintenance Act (LOMA), as read with Section 44 (1). The […]
(MISA/IFEX) – Fresh charges have been laid against four “Daily News” journalists, Geoff Nyarota, Bill Saidi, Sam Munyavi and John Gambanga.
According to Lawrence Chibwe, the journalists’ lawyer, the four are now being charged with contravening Section 44 (2) (b) of the Law and Order Maintenance Act (LOMA), as read with Section 44 (1).
The section makes it an offence to distribute or circulate any subversive statement among the public or any section of the public or supplying or offering any written or printed subversive statement to any other person, whether at a price or not. Any person who breaches this section of the LOMA is liable to a prison term not exceeding five years.
Chibwe said that the state would now proceed by way of summons. He also said that according to Section 44 of the LOMA, the definition of what constitutes a subversive statement was broad and the police are not clear on what definition they are pinning their case.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Information and Publicity Jonathan Moyo said that the arrest of the journalists was a good example of the application of the rule of law. He accused government critics of a double standard when dealing with Zimbabwe. “What makes the reaction particularly outrageous is that it comes from the very self important and loud mouthed quarters that have made the most noise about the rule of law, whose tenet is that no person, whatever their station in life, is above the law,” said Moyo.
“International observers agree that the unsubstantiated allegations of the ‘Daily News’ that police vehicles were supposedly used to assist looters to ferry looted property, were deliberately false and politically calculated to give the false impression of a break-down of law and order in Zimbabwe, to justify the widely publicised British plans to invade Zimbabwe under the pretext of evacuating white commercial farmers, some of whom have been using crude violence against defenceless settlers and sponsoring looting by farm workers,” added Moyo.
Background Information
On 14 August 2001, Geoff Nyarota, editor-in-chief of the “Daily News”, was arrested by police before dawn and was later charged under the LOMA for allegedly publishing false news.
Hours later, his assistant editor, Bill Saidi, was summoned by the police for questioning. News editor John Gambanga and reporter Sam Munyavi were also asked to report to the police for questioning.
The arrest has been linked to the newspaper’s coverage of the widespread looting of scores of white-owned farms in north-eastern Zimbabwe by black farm occupiers in recent days. A front-page story headlined “Police vehicles used in farm looting spree” quoted one unnamed farmer as saying some looters were seen driving around in police vehicles.
The looting in Chinhoyi and the surrounding area was sparked by violent clashes between white farmers and occupiers at one of the farms. An orgy of looting and intimidation forced at least 300 whites to flee from their properties.
