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Media Alerts - March 2003
Media Institute of Southern Africa - Zimbabwe Chapter (MISA-Zimbabwe)
March 25, 2003

Police confiscate recorder and mobile phone from arrested reporter
March 25, 2003

Stanley Karombo a freelance reporter in Mutare says the police beat him and searched his home after arresting him on 19 March. The police also confiscated his mobile phone and recorder. Karombo was arrested under the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) for allegedly practising journalism without accreditation.

Karombo told MISA-Zimbabwe in an interview today, 25 March, that the police have not returned his phone and recorder by late afternoon on 25 March. Contrary to the MISA-Zimbabwe alert sent on 24 March, Karombo said that he was not working on any story but had accompanied a colleague from The Daily Mirror who was working on a story. MISA-Zimbabwe also notes that he was arrested on 19 March and not 20 as we reported yesterday.

Karombo told MISA-Zimbabwe that his mobile phone rang while he was in the office of the Police Spokesperson for Manicaland Edmund Maingire, where his colleague was conducting an interview. He said that when he went in the corridor to answer the phone another officer overheard him talking about the stay away. The officer approached Karombo and demanded to know whom he was talking to and why he was talking about the stay away. Karombo said that the police officer snatched the phone from him and began talking to Tererai Karimakwenda of SW radio Africa in London, who had called Karombo enquiring on the situation home. Karimakwenda is a Zimbabwe in working in the United Kingdom. The police also searched for all phone numbers in Karombo's phone and when they saw mobile numbers of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change(MDC) leadership in Mutare, they accused Karombo of being an MDC supporter.

Karombo said that the police officer immediately shoved him into Maingire’s office reporting that he had caught him talking about the stay away to the British. The two police officers called their colleagues from the Law and Order Section. They began assaulting Karombo, questioning him why he was talking to people who are "selling" their country and whose station was banned in Zimbabwe. The police immediately arrested Karombo and took him to his home for a search. Karombo said that the police searched even the bin and found some old stories he had written. The police also demanded Karombo’s accreditation card. When he told the police that he was currently not doing any media work and is not accredited, he was further assaulted.

Karombo said that when all this happened no one knew where he was as his colleague from The Daily mirror had been told to go. He said that he was denied access to his lawyer. The police told the lawyer they were not aware of Karombo’s arrest or case. The police only admitted his arrest the next day, Thursday 20 March.

Karombo told MISA-Zimbabwe that his trial date has been set for 30 April. He is currently on bail and is not allowed to leave Mutare as part of the court conditions. Karombo said that he was not seriously injured in the beatings.

The MISA-Zimbabwe administered Media Defence Fund will assist with legal fees in his case.

Alert update - Reporter removed from remand
March 24, 2002

The Magistrate court in Harare today, 24 March, ruled that Lloyd Mudiwa a reporter with The Daily News be removed from remand.

The Court ruled that the section under which Mudiwa is being charged under is likely to be declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. The Independent Journalist Association of Zimbabwe (IJAZ) is challenging Section 80 of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

The Act stipulates that it is a crime to publish falsehoods. Mudiwa was jointly charged with the former editor in chief of the Daily News Geoff Nyarota. Mudiwa’s lawyers indicated to the court that despite the Supreme court challenge the Minister of Information and Publicity Professor Jonathan Moyo has already, in a way, conceded that the section is unconstitutional. The Minister is seeking to amend the section in an Amendment Bill that is soon to be debated in parliament. The Magistrate also said that the matter has been outstanding for too long. The court ruled that until and when the Supreme Court makes it’s ruling on the constitutionality of Section 80, the matter will remain closed. The State had set 15 April as the trial date.

Background
Mudiwa is jointly charged with Nyarota over a story the paper wrote in 2002 alleging that ruling party supporters had beheaded an opposition supporter. The story was later proved to be false. The Daily News retracted the story and apologized. The state has however issued a warrant of arrests against Nyarota for failing to appear in court. Nyarota’s lawyers say that the court was made aware of the reasons behind Nyarota's absence but insisted that a warrant of arrest be issued. Mudiwa and Nyarota had already applied to have the Supreme Court determine the constitutionality of Section 80.

Media alert - photographer and lawyers arrested
March 19, 2003

Philemon Bulawayo a photographer with the Daily News was arrested on 18 March while taking pictures of police officers beating people in a Harare high-density suburb of Glen View. Zimbabwe was at a standstill from 18 to 19 March following a stay away call by the opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change.

The legal advisor of the Daily News, Gugulethu Moyo and the newspaper’s lawyer, Alec Muchadehama were also arrested when they visited the police station seeking the release of Bulawayo. Moyo and Bulawayo are still being held at the Harare Central police station. Muchadehama was released upon arrival at the Harare Central police station.

Bulawayo was beaten by the police and held at Glen View police station before being transferred to Harare Central police station. Bulawayo told the Daily News, while still at the Glen View police station, that the police pounced on him after realising that he was taking photos when they were beating a group of youths. Bulawayo sustained bruises all over his body. He told the paper that he was made to role on the floor while being beaten. When Moyo and Muchadehama visited the Glen View police station they were also beaten and arrested.

The Daily News (19 March) reports that the wife of army General Constantine Chiwenga, Jocelyn Chiwenga who was at the police station also joined in the assault of Moyo and Muchadehama. Mrs Chiwenga accused Moyo and Muchadehama of trying to get the release of "their enemies" in reference to Bulawayo. Chiwenga is reported to have said that Moyo and Muchadehama are encouraging anarchy in Zimbabwe. It could not be ascertained what Mrs Chiwenga was doing at the police station. Lawyers representing The Daily News have already made an urgent application to the High Court to have the two released. A source at the paper said that no charges have been preferred against the two by Wednesday evening.

Sam Sipepa Nkomo the Executive Chairperson of the Associated Newspapers, publishers of the Daily News said that they would take legal action against the police.

"As a former detainee I witnessed this kind of barbarism during the time we were fighting Ian Smith. But I never imagined that I would witnessed this in an independent Zimbabwe," said Mr Nkomo.

Meanwhile a Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) news crew was attacked by a mob in the high-density suburb of Glen View. A ZBC car was stoned but the crew managed to escape unhurt.

For more information:
Rashweat Mukundu Research and Information Officer MISA-Zimbabwe
E mail: misa@mweb.co.zw
Mobile: +263 11 602 685

Visit the MISA-Zimbabwe fact sheet

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