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Journalists beaten and injured
MISA-Zimbabwe
May 15, 2004

Five journalists based in Zimbabwe’s central city of Gweru were severely beaten and injured by riot police on 15 May as they were covering a civic meeting in the city.

Ophelia Chivere, Donvan Muroyiwa, Cynthia Mahwite, Richard Musazulwa and Kim Stambuli all freelance journalists for the Standard and Gweru Times newspapers, were beaten and injured at a local hotel, the Midlands Hotel as they were covering a civic meeting organized by the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) and the Civic Alliance for Social Change, CASEP.

The meeting was violently stopped by the riot police who fired teargas into the hotel and beat up participants including the journalists. One of the journalists Stambuli Kim told MISA-Zimbabwe that his cell phone and press card were taken by the police. Stambuli told MISA-Zimbabwe that the police were incensed that the journalists who were putting on MISA T- shirts were covering the event when the previous week, on 8 May, the same police had granted MISA-Zimbabwe permission to march in the city as part of the World Press Freedom day commemorations. "The police said we had betrayed them by joining the NCA when they had allowed our march the previous week", Stambuli told MISA-Zimbabwe.

One of the journalists, Richard Musalulwa told MISA-Zimbabwe that his left hand was seriously injured and he was feeling a sharp back pain. As late as 3 pm in the afternoon the journalists were still hiding in the hotel as the police had laid siege on the hotel. 80 people were arrested at the hotel and 20 were reported to have been seriously injured. The organizer of the meeting William Chikuvanyanga told MISA-Zimbabwe that police clearance had been sought and granted before the meeting was held.

Meanwhile another journalist, Savious Kwinika was severely beaten and injured on 13 May in Zimbabwe's second city of Bulawayo. Kwinika was attacked at around 22.00 hours in Bulawayo as he waited for transport at a bus stop. His attackers accused him of supporting MDC and as they attacked him they asked him to seek help from the MDC. They disclosed that they had indeed seen him in Lupane and had tracked him down to Bulawayo. The attackers stole his cellephone, wristwatch, t-shirt, blazer, notebook and keys to his office. Kwinika works for The Standard newspaper.

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