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Photo-journalist hearing postponed
MISA-Zimbabwe
August 09, 2007

The state-controlled Media and Information Commission (MIC) on 10 August 2007 postponed its hearing against photojournalist Tsvangirai Mukwazhi after his lawyers argued that its notice for him to appear before the Commission had been given at very short notice.

The hearing was postponed to 20 August 2007.

Harrison Nkomo, Mukwazhi's lawyer told MISA-Zimbabwe that despite the short notice, the defence had also asked the MIC to furnish them with the full details of its allegations against the award-winning journalist in order for them to prepare their defence case.

The MIC is accusing Mukwazhi of deliberately presenting wrong information to the statutory body when he applied for renewal of his 2007 accreditation pertaining to the organisations he freelances for. Nkomo said he had asked the MIC to provide them with details of Mukwazhi's application going back to the time when he filed his original application for accreditation as a freelance photojournalist.

The MIC has also summoned freelance film producer Tendai Musiyazviriyo to appear before the Commission on the same date and on similar allegations.

The MIC is claiming that Mukwazhi should have applied for fresh registration as his circumstances had changed since his original application for accreditation in terms of the repressive Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA).

MISA-Zimbabwe is greatly disturbed at this turn of events as it comes hardly a week after Jocelyn Chiwenga, the wife of Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander General Constantine Chiwenga, on 1 August 2007 assaulted Mukwazhi at Makro Wholesalers in Harare. Chiwenga hurled all sorts of insults at Mukwazhi accusing him of advancing the agenda of Western imperialists.

Opposition MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and several senior members of his party had just left the wholesaler when Chiwenga spotted and descended on the photojournalist. The MDC leader and his delegation had apparently visited the wholesaler to assess the impact of the government-sanctioned price slashes on commodities.

Background

On 11 March 2007 Mukwazhi was again at the receiving end of the state's well documented violations against media freedom and freedom of expression when he was arrested together with his colleague Musiyazviriyo, a film producer, with whom he freelances for Associated Press (AP). They were brutally assaulted while in police custody following their arrest.

The unlawful arrest and subsequent severe assault of Mukwazhi and Musiyazviriyo together with the leaders of opposition parties and civic society organisations while in police custody, resulted in them being hospitalised despite the fact that the two journalists had valid accreditation cards issued by the state-controlled MIC.

They were arrested in Harare's suburb of Highfield after police sealed off Zimbabwe Grounds ahead of a planned national day of prayer organised under the auspices of the Save Zimbabwe Campaign. The arrest and brutal assault of Mukwazhi in March 2007 was of great concern as his whereabouts remained unknown until he appeared in court two days later.

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