Back to Index

Zimbabwe urged to allow foreign journalists
Daily News Online
February 24, 2005

http://allafrica.com/stories/200502240517.html

Johannesburg - Authorities in Harare should allow international journalists to operate freely inside the country, if Zimbabwe's elections are to be seen to be free and fair, the head of Rhodes University's Department of Journalism in South Africa has said.

Professor Guy Berger said allowing foreign journalists to operate freely was crucial as this would bring respect and acceptance of next month's election results by the international community.

Prof Berger was quoted in the South African media criticising the ill-treatment of foreign correspondents by Harare authorities.

Prof Berger spoke as four Zimbabwean journalists, who were corresponding for international news organisations from Harare, were reported to have fled the country.

Angus Shaw, who wrote for AP news agency, Brian Latham who contributed to the Bloomberg financial wire service, Jan Raath of the London newspaper The Times and Zimbabwean freelance television producer Cornelius Nduna fled Zimbabwe amid reports security agents were on the verge of arresting them. Their whereabouts have not yet been ascertained.

The harassment of the journalists has attracted sharp criticism from the United States administration and media organizations, both at home and abroad.

The US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the administration noted a pattern in Zimbabwe where the opposition feared for its safety, restrictions were being placed on civil society and newspapers were being shut down.

The harassment of foreign journalists is seen as a wider campaign by President Mugabe's Zanu PF government to prevent the outside world from accessing information about Zimbabwe ahead of crucial elections to be held on 31 March.

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP