(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Minister of Information Jonathan Moyo, RSF expressed its concern about the deterioration of press freedom in Zimbabwe. RSF asked the minister to do everything in his power to ensure that journalists are no longer harassed in the country. The organisation also asked the minister to order the national regulatory […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Minister of Information Jonathan Moyo, RSF expressed its concern about the deterioration of press freedom in Zimbabwe. RSF asked the minister to do everything in his power to ensure that journalists are no longer harassed in the country. The organisation also asked the minister to order the national regulatory authority to cancel the suspension of the programme “Talk to the Nation” broadcast by the national television channel (ZBC). “Zimbabwean and foreign journalists cannot work freely anymore in this country, which has become the most repressive in Southern Africa with regard to press freedom,” declared Robert Ménard, RSF’s secretary-general.
On 6 June 2001, according to information gathered by RSF, Tsvangirai Mukwazhi, a photographer with the “Daily News”, was arrested by police and taken to Harare’s central police station. He was accused of “conduct likely to breach peace.” He was released several hours later after paying a small fine. The journalist and another “Daily News” reporter, Columbus Mavhunga, were covering a student march toward the Ministry of Higher Education and Technology when police officers beat them before dispersing the students. Their equipment was confiscated by the police. The students were protesting the government’s decision to increase their fees for the next university term.
The same day, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation Board suspended a programme of live debates on the national television channel ZBC. This programme, “Talk to the Nation”, had already been broadcast three times. TV viewers had intervened live to criticise President Robert Mugabe and his government (see IFEX alerts of 8 and 7 June 2001).
Recently, the Broadcasting Services Act was promulgated by the president to put an end to the state’s broadcasting monopoly, as requested by the High Court. However, only one television channel and one radio station will be authorised to broadcast along with the national public media. According to this law, the two new media outlets will be obliged to schedule one hour per week for the government to present “its policies to the nation.” In case of refusal or in case of breach of “public order” or “public morality,” the Minister of Information can suspend or cancel the licence granted to the media outlets (see IFEX alerts of 10, 9, 6 and 5 April, 28, 19 and 12 March and 21 February 2001, 26, 19, 12 and 5 October, 28, 25 and 20 September 2000).
Finally, RSF notes that since the beginning of the year, six journalists have been assaulted by police or militants from the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF, ruling party), two foreign correspondents have been expelled and one independent newspaper has been the victim of a bomb explosion.
For further information, contact Jean-François Julliard at RSF, rue Geoffroy Marie, Paris 75009, France, tel: +33 1 44 83 84 84, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51, e-mail: afrique@rsf.fr, Internet: http://www.rsf.fr
