(RSF/IFEX) – Authorities in Zimbabwe continue to flout the right to news and information. In the wake of a recent ban on opposition access to the state media, Parliament has now passed an amendment to the already extremely repressive Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA). Proposed by Information Minister Jonathan Moyo, the […]
(RSF/IFEX) – Authorities in Zimbabwe continue to flout the right to news and information. In the wake of a recent ban on opposition access to the state media, Parliament has now passed an amendment to the already extremely repressive Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA).
Proposed by Information Minister Jonathan Moyo, the amendment provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison or a fine for any journalist who tries to work without accreditatioon from the government’s Media and Information Commission (MIC).
“The all-out censorship imposed by the Mugabe regime shows no sign of stopping. This amendment will facilitate the imprisonment of intractable journalists and is further evidence of the government’s opposition to freedom and democracy,” RSF said.
RSF accused Zimbabwe of ignoring its commitments to partners in southern Africa. “We once again urgently call on South Africa to demand an explanation from Harare,” the organisation said.
Passed with the votes of the ruling ZANU-PF party and condemned by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), the amendment reinforces the absolute power that the MIC now exercises over journalists and the news media. All of the commission’s members are government appointees.
