Zimbabwe

(MISA/IFEX) – Journalists covering parliamentary proceedings and debates have been asked to confine themselves to the press gallery and stop interviewing members of parliament (MPs) in the courtyard, reports the “Zimbabwe Independent” newspaper. Journalists have also been barred from entering the parliament bar and interacting with the MPs over a drink after the parliamentary sessions. […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a CPJ press release: GOVERNMENT TO SILENCE INDEPENDENT PAPERS “ONCE AND FOR ALL” New York, November 2, 2000 — Zimbabwe’s minister of information and publicity has threatened to charge two independent Harare newspapers, the Daily News and the weekly Standard, and their senior staff with criminal defamation. The minister also […]

(MISA/IFEX) – On 26 October 2000, the speaker of the Zimbabwean parliament, Emmerson Mnangagwa, ruled that the “Financial Gazette” newspaper was in contempt of parliament for publishing a story last week which said the parliamentary committee had met and unanimously resolved that the new broadcasting regulations were illegal, reports “The Herald” newspaper. “It is the […]

(MISA/IFEX) – “The Herald” newspaper reports that the government is going to file criminal defamation charges against “The Daily News” and “The Standard” for publishing reports on the state of a civil lawsuit against President Robert Mugabe that is being heard in a United States court. In a statement issued in Harare, the Department of […]

(MISA/IFEX) – On 26 October 2000, the new broadcasting regulations were scheduled to be tabled before the Parliamentary Legal Committee, to verify their compliance with the constitution. Commenting on reports made by the “Financial Gazette” on 19 October, to the effect that the regulations had been declared illegal by the Parliamentary Legal Committee, Minister of […]

(MISA/IFEX) – On 25 October 2000, Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Patrick Chinamasa appealed to parliament to hold the “Financial Gazette” in contempt of court for publishing an article which implies that the new broadcasting laws were illegal. Last week, the “Financial Gazette”‘s chief reporter, Sydney Masamvu, quoted unnamed sources in the parliamentary […]

(MISA/IFEX) – “The Herald” newspaper reports that Manicaland politician Shadreck Beta allegedly threatened the news editor of the “Manica Post”, Herbert Mutugwi, over an article about the recent suspension of his executive powers by Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) Chairman John Nkomo. Beta is said to have taken exception to the use […]

(MISA/IFEX) – The legal committee of Zimbabwe’s Parliament, a panel which checks the legality of laws brought to the House, has declared the new regulations on broadcasting unconstitutional. The “Financial Gazette”, an independent weekly newspaper, quoted “authoritative sources” as saying that the regulations that were gazetted using the presidential powers violated the country’s constitution. The […]

(MISA/IFEX) – According to the Media Monitoring Project in Zimbabwe (MMPZ), members of the Zimbabwe National Army severely assaulted four journalists in Dzivaresekwa on 18 October 2000. The four, who were stopped by soldiers in armoured cars, were dragged from their vehicle by a group of up to a dozen soldiers, forced to lie on […]

(MISA/IFEX) – The editor of the main state-owned daily newspaper “The Herald”, Bornwell Chakaodza, has been dismissed from his post effective 31 October 2000. It is widely believed his dismissal is due to his editorial stance of wanting to move away from open and unquestioning support for the government. “The Standard” newspaper reports that Chakaodza […]

(MISA/IFEX) – On 16 October 2000, the Zimbabwe High Court fined Assistant Police Commissioner Libermann Ndlovu ZW$3000 (approx. US$56.60) or thirty days in jail for defying a lawful order issued by Judge Chatikobo on 4 October. However, the court exonerated Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri from the matter. Justice Gwaunza said she had considered his explanation […]

(MISA/IFEX) – The Zimbabwean government’s temporary measures to regulate broadcasting represent an undisguised freezing – and not freeing – of the airwaves, according to media analysts quoted in the “Zimbabwe Independent” newspaper. Commentators quoted by the newspaper said the legislation signified an attempt to contain a growing crisis unleashed by a Supreme Court decision to […]

(MISA/IFEX) – On 9 October 2000, the Zimbabwe High Court reserved judgement in the matter involving Capital Radio and the government, allowing police to hold onto the equipment it seized, returned and then re-seized from the radio station on 6 October. Reserving her judgement, Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza said she needed time to look at the […]

(MISA/IFEX) – On 5 October 2000, police dismantled and seized Capitol Radio’s broadcasting equipment, from its studio at the Monomotapa Hotel in Harare. The equipment included a CD player, console, mixer, microphone, amplifier, multiplex generator, modular, coaxial cables and an antenna. The seized equipment was reportedly still in police custody late at night on 5 […]

New York, October 6, 2000 — The High Court of Zimbabwe today ordered the return of equipment confiscated on Thursday from Capital Radio, a newly launched independent FM station. It also ordered the country’s Commissioner of Police to show why he should not be jailed for contempt of court. Thursday’s raid, in which armed police […]

(MISA/IFEX) – On the night of 4 October 2000, armed Zimbabwean police located and raided the studios of private broadcaster Capitol Radio, at Harare’s Monomotapa Hotel. Capital Radio had been broadcasting since 28 September in the absence of any broadcasting regulatory framework and following a Supreme Court ruling on 22 September which nullified the state’s […]