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MISA-Zimbabwe
statement on barring of journalists from Zanu PF congress
MISA-Zimbabwe
December 10, 2009
MISA-Zimbabwe
expresses its great concern with the continued suppression of media
freedom and freedom of expression in Zimbabwe following reports
that two journalists from the privately owned Zimbabwe Independent
were barred from covering the ongoing Zanu PF congress in Harare.
Journalists Faith Zaba
and Wongai Zhangazha were barred from covering the official opening
of the congress on 10 December 2009 by security details.
Ironically this occurred
on the day when Zimbabwe together with the rest of the world was
commemorating International Human Rights Day held under the theme,
Embrace diversity, End discrimination. This is a serious contradiction
in terms as it deprives the independent media of its lawful and
professional role of freely accessing and disseminating information
in the public interest.
Discrimination
against the privately owned media only serves to entrench media
polarisation and clearly contravenes the provisions of Article 19
of the Global
Political Agreement signed by Zanu PF and the two MDC formations
resulting in the birth of the inclusive government. Under the agreement
the three political parties, among other issues, committed themselves
to freeing the media space and secure media diversity.
Regrettably, the Zimbabwean
media space remains restricted with the independent media being
vilified and discriminated against despite global calls for embracement
of diversity and an end to all forms of discrimination.
As the constitution making
process gets underway, MISA-Zimbabwe reiterates its demands for
a constitutional provision that explicitly guarantees media freedom
as critical to the citizens' fundamental right to access information
from a diverse, independent and pluralistic media.
Visit
the MISA-Zimbabwe fact
sheet
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