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MIC
postpones hearing in its attempts to cancel expired accreditation
card
MISA-Zimbabwe
February 14, 2007
The Media and
Information Commission (MIC) has postponed to 23 February 2007 a
case in which it has summoned journalist Nunurayi Jena to appear
before it for a hearing over an expired accreditation card allegedly
issued to him "in error" by the state-controlled media
body.
Jena,
who is being represented by Media Lawyers Network member Tapiwa
Muchineripi told MISA-Zimbabwe that the postponement was necessitated
by the need to verify certain documents being demanded by the MIC.
Only two members
of the MIC, Rhino Zhuwarara and Academy Makoni assisted by a member
of their secretariat presided over the hearing.
Background
In a
letter dated 14 December 2006, some 17 days before the expiration
of the card issued to Jena for the 2005 – 2006 accreditation year,
the MIC summoned him to appear for a hearing at the MIC offices
on 1 February 2007.
The 2005-2006
accreditations expired on 31 December 2006 and journalists are currently
renewing their annual accreditations for 2007 as required under
the Access
to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
"If you intend
to challenge the Commission’s intention to make such a deletion,
you should indicate this in writing within seven working days after
which you may be deemed to have been deleted," said the MIC
in its notice to Jena.
The MIC’s machinations
are widely viewed as designed to refuse Jena accreditation for the
year 2007.
In a story published
in the government-controlled weekly The Sunday Mail on 2 October
2006, the MIC accused the leadership of the Zimbabwe
Union of Journalists (ZUJ) of peddling anti-government propaganda
to "entice" foreign donor agencies to fund its activities.
Jena who is the chairman of ZUJ Chinhoyi branch was singled out
as one of the top ZUJ officials spreading "malicious reports"
about alleged human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.
Jena’s lawyers
have since responded to the MIC notifying the Commission that they
will still challenge the deletion of his name from the "roll
of journalists".
"We hereby
notify you of our client’s intention to challenge the commission’s
intention to make such a deletion, or any order adverse to his interests
as it appears our client seems to be a victim of circumstances who
is being persecuted for having challenged and sued your chairman
for defamatory writings, which matter is pending before the High
Court," said Tapiwa Muchineripi who is representing the Chinhoyi-based
freelance journalist.
Having duly accredited
Jena for the 2005 calendar year the MIC says it now wants to delete
his name because he retrospectively, failed among other issues to:
- renew his
accreditation by 31 December 2005 in that he submitted his form
18 days after the expiry date.
- include required
photographs in his application dated 10 December 2004 and 18 January
2006 and that the application form is neither signed nor stamped
by the mass media service which he listed as either his employer
or buyer of his stories.
The MIC says the
accreditation card in dispute was issued on the basis of a recommendation
but before the application was approved, signed and stamped and
that the officer who made the recommendation has since been dismissed
for "various acts of misconduct".
In addition the
MIC is also demanding that Jena furnishes them with documentation
of his journalistic activities, local and foreign buyers of his
stories, print-outs of the accounts into which he deposited his
earnings from journalistic activities for the years 2005 and 2006.
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