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Journalists arrested
Media Institute of Southern Africa - Zimbabwe Chapter (MISA-Zimbabwe)
January 12, 2004

The police, on Saturday 10 January, arrested Zimbabwe Independent newspaper editor Iden Wetherell, news editor Vincent Kahiya and Chief Reporter Dumisani.

The three were picked up in the morning and afternoon and detained at the Harare Central police station. The three are expected to appear in court today (12 January). The police allege that the three denigrated President Robert Mugabe by publishing a story that the president "commandeered" an air Zimbabwe plane to take him to Asia. The police said they have charged the three under Section 80 of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and would consider charging them under the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) as well.

President Mugabe is on a private visit to Asia. And the Zimbabwe Independent on 11 January reported that Air Zimbabwe had cancelled some flights to take him there. The story was immediately dismissed by Information and Publicity Minister Jonathan Moyo who called it criminally false. Minister urged law enforcement agencies to act on the three. Moyo said they story was "a deliberate falsehood meant to bring the reputation of the President into disrepute".

Background
Section 80 of AIPPA titled "Abuse of journalistic privilege" read that:

A journalist who abuses his journalistic privilege by-
(a) Intentionally or recklessly falsifying information; or
(b) Maliciously or fraudulently fabricating information; or
(c) Publishing any statement-
(i) Knowing it to be false or without having reasonable grounds for believing it to be true; and
(ii) Recklessly, or with malicious or fraudulent intent, representing it as a true statement; or
(d) Committing or facilitating the commission of a criminal offence;
Shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level seven or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years or to both such fine and such imprisonment."

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