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Journalists should be on high alert
MISA-Zimbabwe
August 07, 2007

Journalists should exercise extreme vigilance and care during their professional duties ahead of the harmonised presidential and parliamentary elections in 2008 which could be preceded by charged political campaigns.

The call was made by the Chairperson of MISA-Zimbabwe Loughty Dube during the presentation of his annual report to the organisation's annual general meeting held in Harare on 4 August 2007.

Dube said the year 2007 had so far been characterised by an unprecedented increase in the number of cases involving media violations resulting in the mysterious death of Edward Chikomba a freelance cameraperson and a former ZBC employee who was abducted and murdered by unknown persons. He was abducted by unknown assailants near his home in Harare's Glen View suburb on 29 March 2007. His body was found two days later in Darwendale, just outside Harare.

In February this year, Bill Saidi the editor of the privately owned Standard had also received an envelope containing a bullet and a message warning him to "watch out". The worst, he said, was still to come on 11 March 2007 when award winning photo-journalist Tsvangirai Mukwazhi and his colleague, Tendai Musiyazviriyo, a film producer, who both freelance for Associated Press, were arrested and severely assaulted while in police custody.

"The arrest and brutal assault of Mukwazhi was of great concern as his whereabouts remained unknown until he appeared in court two days later, said Dube. "This year has been tainted by increased violations, harassments, arrests, assaults and torture of journalists as captured and recorded in our media alerts further denting and curtailing the citizens rights to free expression and media freedom.

"The harmonized elections due next year are likely to bring with them more problems for journalists and I urge members of the media fraternity to exercise extreme caution in the execution of their duties during that period."

He said it is against the background of the increase in the number of cases of media violations that MISA-Zimbabwe in partnership with the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ) organised and completed a two day workshop in Harare on 2- 3 August 2007 on investigative journalism and reporting in a hostile environment to sensitise journalists on requisite survival skills and tools.

Turning to the signing of the Interception of Communications Bill into law, Dube reiterated MISA-Zimbabwe's assertion that the spying law used with other repressive media laws seriously compromises media freedom and freedom of expression in Zimbabwe.

On the launch of the independent self-regulatory Media Council of Zimbabwe on 8 June 2007, he expressed confidence that the men and women who were elected into the council were of the highest integrity deserving the media's "unstinting support" as they embark on their mandate of instilling high ethical standards in the media.

The National Director Rashweat Mukundu in his annual narrative report for 2006-2007 highlighted the organisations activities as espoused under its mission and vision by reporting on progress on the Community Radio Initiatives, Media Council of Zimbabwe and cases pending at the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights and the completion of MISA-Zimbabwe's Resource Centre.

The meeting also tasked members of the National Governing Council to identify individuals who will be accorded honorary membership to the organisation because of their commitment in advancing MISA-Zimbabwe's vision and mission of a Zimbabwe in which the media environment enjoys freedom of expression, independence from political, economic and commercial interests, pluralism of views and opinions.

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