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Zimbabwe:
Press freedom groups appeal to African Human Rights Commission
International
Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX)
April
05, 2005
The African
Commission on Human and People's Rights (ACHPR) has agreed to hear
a legal case against the Zimbabwean government, following an appeal
filed by press freedom and human rights groups.
The human rights body, which assesses whether countries that have
ratified the African Charter on Human and People's Rights are living
up to their commitments, will hear an application filed by three
organisations at its next session in the Gambia, which runs from
27 April to 11 May 2005.
The Media Institute of Southern Africa-Zimbabwe (MISA), Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Human Rights and the Independent Journalists Association
of Zimbabwe allege that Zimbabwe's Access to Information and Protection
of Privacy Act (AIPPA) violates the Charter, to which Zimbabwe is
a signatory.
The plaintiffs argue that the AIPPA violates the right to freedom
of expression guaranteed by the Charter by making it mandatory for
all journalists and media outlets to register with the government-appointed
Media and Information Commission. They say mandatory registration
interferes with professional independence and threatens journalistic
autonomy.
Since its entry into law in 2002, the AIPPA has successfully undermined
freedom of expression in Zimbabwe, says MISA. The only independent
Zimbabwean daily newspaper, The Daily News, has effectively been
banned and the likelihood of its returning to the streets in the
foreseeable future seems remote. Dozens of journalists have suffered
legal harassment, mostly in the form of short-term detention.
In November 2004, Zimbabwe's parliament passed amendments to the
AIPPA that lengthened jail terms and increased fines for journalists
caught working without government accreditation. Under the amended
act, individuals can be jailed for up to two years. The act also
restricts accredited journalists to working for one media outlet,
a stipulation MISA says is aimed at discouraging freelance journalists
from writing for foreign outlets who are more critical of the government
than local media.
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