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Media in the line of fire: Where is the justice?
Isabella Matambanadzo
Extracted from: Osisa - Openspace - The Media: expression and freedom
December 2006

http://www.osisa.org/node/7460

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A green police truck, whose colour has evaporated from years of operating under Zimbabwe's sunshine rolls past, sputtering in its wake a dusty mix of red earth and diesel fumes.

The driver's arms are strained taut as he struggles to balance his unwieldy load. He brings the vehicle to a growling halt on the slope of the gates leading to the holding cells of the Harare Magistrate's Court at Rotten Row, a ring of a building that squats on the fringes of the inner city business zone of Zimbabwe's capital.

Young armed guards in crisp uniforms spring over the back of the truck, their morning breath steaming into a fog against the winter chill. Their cargo emerges: barefoot prisoners walk like mismatched twins shackled together at the ankles, coming before the courts. It's June 15, 2006. In Courtroom number 4, the Magistrate listens to arguments in the case of a car thief. Then the case of some men involved in a housebreaking matter comes to the fore. Finally the court calls for David Masunda, Chairperson of Radio Voice of the People (VOP).

The public prosecutor leaps from his rickety chair, "This matter has been postponed your Worship", he informs the court. Stumped, Masunda stops walking to the dock and stands suspended in the middle of the court room like a puppet controlled by powers pulling invisible strings.

He turns his eyes to VOP's lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa for directions. With a knowing gesture, she reaches for her face and gently nudges her black rimmed glasses back into place. "But as my learned friend knows your Worship, this matter was confirmed as proceeding as late as yesterday. I personally checked with my learned friend's office and it was agreed that we would be going ahead with the trial." Mtetwa has been - for the last decade or so - defending the rights and freedoms of journalists in Zimbabwe. One of her most widely followed cases was that of Andrew Meldrum, an American journalist, who fell victim to obnoxious media regulation laws introduced by former information minister Jonathan Moyo. Meldrum was expelled from Zimbabwe in May 2003 after 23 years as a correspondent for the British Guardian newspaper.

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